Illness ends Petrova's hopes

Nadia Petrova saw her challenge at the Hansol Korea Open end in disappointing fashion on Saturday as the top seed was forced to retire from her semi-final because of illness.

The Russian had been trailing Klara Zakopalova 5-4 in the opening set when she decided to bring an early end to the contest, handing her Czech opponent a place in Sunday's final in Seoul.

Zakopalova will next face another Russian, Alisa Kleybanova, as she aims to win her third title on the WTA Tour.

Fifth-seeded Kleybanova was on court for one hour and 39 minutes as she battled past Hungarian eighth seed Agnes Szavay 6-3 6-2.