Rome, May 19 (IANS): Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina, the Italian Open's defending champion, on Saturday defeated Estonia's Anett Kontaveit 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the final.
Svitolina, world No. 4, took one hour and 14 minutes to beat Kontaveit, world No. 26, reports Efe.
The Ukrainian player, champion this year in Dubai, reached the semifinal after beating Croatia's Petra Martic, Russia's Daria Kasatkina and Germany's Angelique Kerber, current world No.12 and a former No.1.
Kontaveit's road was full of surprises, after her upset victories over the United States' Venus Williams, world No.9, and Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki, world No.2.
In the final, Svitolina is to defend her title against the winner of the match between Romania's Simona Halep, current world No.1, and Russia's Maria Sharapova, a three-time champion on Rome's clay courts.