Groth plays Mattek-Sands in Hobart final

HOBART, Australia, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Bethanie Mattek-Sands lost only two games in the final two sets of a semifinal win Friday at the Hobart International tennis tournament in New Zealand.

Mattek-Sands rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Peng Shuai and won a slot in Saturday's title match against No. 6-seeded Jarmila Groth. Groth defeated fifth-seeded Klara Zakopalova 6-3, 6-2 in her match Friday.

Mattek-Sands dropped her serve four times in the opening set but faced only one break point the rest of the way, winning 72 percent of the points on serve in the second and third sets. Mattek-Sands pulled off nine breaks in Peng's 12 service games in the match.

Groth was on the court just 63 minutes in getting by Zakopalova. She finished off six of her 16 break-point chances and won 60 percent of the points in the second set.

Mattek-Sands, in her third final, is looking for her first WTA championship. Groth is 1-0 in title matches. Mattek-Sands won the only previous meeting between the two.

The Hobart International championship is worth $37,000 with $19,000 going to the runner-up. Friday's semifinal losers each took home $10.200.