Last update - 00:00 01/03/2008
Israeli tennis star Peer upset in semifinals of Memphis tourney
By The Associated Press
Teenager Olga Govortsova of Belarus upset third-seeded Shahar Peer of Israel 6-3 3-6 6-4 in the semifinal round of the Memphis Championship on Friday. Govortsova earned the right to play in her first ever WTA final.
The 19-year-old fifth seed shrugged off four double faults to scrape through a tight semi-final in just under two hours and book a place in the title match with fourth-seeded Lindsay Davenport.
Former world number one Davenport, competing in her first WTA event on U.S. soil in two years, hammered New Zealand qualifier Marina Erakovic 6-0 6-3 in less than an hour.
"It feels great, getting into my first final," Govortsova told reporters. "I am playing really well now and in the third set I wanted to win so badly.
Govortsova beat Peer, then ranked 18th in the world, at Stanford last year to achieve her first victory over a top-20 player.
"Now I have beaten her again so I have confidence against her," the Pinsk native added with a smile. "But she is a good player and it's hard to beat her."