Tennis: Resurgent Pe'er storms into second straight final

Tennis Resurgent Peer

By ALLON SINAI
Shahar Pe'er moved to within one win of her second WTA Tour title in as many weeks on Saturday, advancing to the final of the Tashkent Open in Uzbekistan. The 22-year-old, who claimed the Guangzhou Open in China last week, will enter Sunday's final against hometown favorite Akgul Amanmuradova in scintillating form having won nine straight matches and 18 consecutive sets. On Saturday, Pe'er, the No.2 seed in Tashkent, twice fought back from a break down in the first set before cruising to a 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over Olga Govortsova, who had beaten the Israeli in their previous three meetings. "I'm happy that I'm playing better tennis with each match. I just want to keep going that way on Sunday," said Pe'er, who climbed 11 places to No. 46 in the world after her win in Guangzhou and is expected to move into the top 40 regardless of Sunday's result. "My previous losses to Govortsova didn't bother me, nor did I think of them. I just go out and play my tennis." Pe'er waited more than three years to claim her fourth career title last week in China, with her first three WTA Tour titles coming at Pattaya City, Prague and Istanbul in 2006. Amanmuradova (113), who is 0-4 in her career against Pe'er, including a defeat in Guangzhou last week, upset top-seeded Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 6-4, 7-6 (3) Saturday, reaching her second singles final on the Tour, with her first coming also in Tashkent four years ago.