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WTA Carlsbad - Nadia Petrova vs. Dominika Cibulkova (22:00 BST)

Dominika Cibulkova (credit: Stephen Dunn/AFP/Getty Images)
Nadia Petrova takes on Dominika Cibulkova later today in the semi-finals of the Mercury Insurance Open (22:00 BST start).

Cibulkova was the only player to find a relatively comfortable path to the semi-finals of the WTA Carlsbad on Friday, as she was able to shake off the challenge of Poland’s Urszula Radwanska in straight sets.

Radwanska was competitive throughout, but was unable to avoid a 6-4 6-4 defeat.

The second seed can now look forward to a meeting today with Petrova, who was pushed all the way by Varvara Lepchenko in the last eight, and had to clinch the win in a third set tie-breaker (6-4 2-6 7-6).

This looks set to be a fascinating contest. Cibulkova has proven herself to be one of the best players in the WTA in recent years, yet her lack of WTA titles suggests that she struggles in the latter stages of competitions. As for Petrova, she’s closing back in on the top 20, and has demonstrated several times that she’s got what it takes to handle the pressure on big occasions.

Although Cibulkova has a 2-1 head-to-head record against the Russian, it’s worth taking into account the fact that Petrova thrashed the Slovakian 6-2 6-0 in Den Bosch this year.

This might give Petrova a mental edge ahead of today’s action.

Prediction: Petrova in three.

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WTA Carlsbad - Nadia Petrova vs. Dominika Cibulkova (22:00 BST)

Nadia Petrova takes on Dominika Cibulkova later today in the semi-finals of the Mercury Insurance Open (22:00 BST start).

Read more »

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