TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (AP) — Seventeen-year-old Russian tennis prodigy Anastasia Potapova will play for her first WTA title at the Tashkent Open.
Potapova, a former top-ranked junior player, beat Kateryna Kozlova 6-2, 6-3 Friday despite going a break down in the second set.
She will face Margarita Gasparyan for the title on Saturday. Gasparyan, who defeated Mona Barthel 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, was also once considered one of Russia's up-and-coming stars but had her career derailed by an injury requiring repeated knee operations.
It will be the second career final for both Potapova and Gasparyan. Potapova lost to Olga Danilovic in Moscow in July, while Gasparyan won the now-defunct Baku Cup in 2015.
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