PRAGUE: Top seed Karolina Pliskova rallied from a set down to claim her fourth WTA title by defeating qualifier Lucie Hradecka 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in an all-Czech final of the Prague Open here on Saturday.

The 14th-ranked Pliskova wasted three match points when she was 5-2 up in the final set. But she served out the match in the following game, converting her fifth match point with a forehand winner.

It was the seventh career final for the 74th-ranked Hradecka, but she has lost them all.Hradecka hit 17 aces to Pliskova’s eight, but also double faulted 10 times.

Pliskova jumped to a 3-0 lead in the second set before wasting two set points at 5-2 and allowed Hradecka to tie it at 5-5, but she converted her third set point to even the match.

Hradecka got a break for a 5-4 lead in the opening set and converted her second set point when Pliskova sent a backhand return long.

Earlier on Friday, Pliskova produced an ace on her first match point and advanced to the final by beating Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 6-4, 7-5. It was one of 11 aces for the hard-hitting Czech.

Hradecka in her semi-final beat another Czech, unseeded Katerina Siniakova, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

FEDERER SURVIVES SCHWARTZMAN SCARE

ISTANBUL: Top seed Roger Federer on Saturday survived a stern test from world number 63 Diego Schwartzman of Argentina to advance into the final of the Istanbul Open after a tense three set encounter.

Federer, 33, looked rattled all afternoon as he failed to find rhythm on his first serve and even received a rare code violation.

Losing the first set, he eventually prevailed 2-6, 6-2, 7-5, after almost two hours on court.

On Friday, Federer overcame some sloppy serving to beat unseeded Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain 7-6 (3), 6-7 (5), 6-3 and reach the semi-finals.

Second seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria advanced to the semis with a 6-4, 6-3 win against Croatia’s Ivan Dodig, and will play third-seeded Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay who beat Thomaz Bellucci 7-5, 6-3.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2015

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