Vesnina, Kudryavtseva make Tashkent final

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Elena Vesnina and Alla Kudryavtseva each won in three sets Friday, taking semifinal victories at the Tashkent Open tennis tournament in Uzbekistan.

Vesnina, the No. 4 seed, defeated fifth-seeded Monica Niculescu 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. She lost only four points in five third-set service games in sealing her second tournament final of the year.

Niculescu landed 78 percent of her first serves but Vesnina's receiving game was sharp enough to claim five service breaks.

Kudryavtseva, seeded seventh, slipped past Evgeniya Rodina 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. She dropped serve twice -- both in the second set -- but saved a total of five break-point situations in the other two sets.

Vesnina won the only previous career meeting with Kudryavtseva, taking a straight-set win in Rome in 2008. Both players are looking for their first WTA title. Saturday's titlist will win $37,000 with $19,000 to the runner-up. Niculescu and Rodina each earned $10,200 for advancing to the semifinals.