Medina Garrigues, Dulko Win Tight Semifinals in Morocco

The Top 2 seeds at the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem moved into the title match of the Tier IV event on Saturday, winning close two set contests against strong challengers in the semifinals.
 
No.2 seed Gisela Dulko was the first to advance to the final, taking out No.4 seed Aravane Rezai in an hour and 48 minutes, 76(6) 63. Dulko seemed headed for an easy victory as she burst out of the blocks, going up 4-1 in the first set and holding a point for 5-1, but Rezai used her power game to battle back, reeling off four games in a row to grab her own 5-4 lead. They stayed close through the tie-break and Rezai was the first to draw blood, bringing up set point at 6-5, but Dulko won the last three points to claim the set. She had few troubles in the second set en route to the straight set win.
 
No.1 seed Anabel Medina Garrigues followed Dulko into the final with a 63 76(3) win over unseeded Greta Arn. In something of a mirror image of the day's first semifinal, Medina Garrigues had a relatively routine time of it in the first set then fought off a late surge in the second set, twice being a game away from going to a decider but both times hanging tough, and eventually clinching victory in the tie-break. Arn had taken out the only Top 4 seed not to reach this week's semifinals, No.3 seed Tathiana Garbin, in the second round. She had also beaten qualifier and former Top 5 player Jelena Dokic in the opening round.
 
Medina Garrigues and Dulko have played twice before, splitting those matches evenly, 1-1. Both encounters went the distance however, with Dulko winning at Doha, 61 16 64, and Medina Garrigues winning at New Haven, 60 67(10) 64. Both meetings took place in 2005.
 
One thing that could point in Medina Garrigues' favor is that the No.1 seed has won every final between the Top 2 seeds this year. There have been three before this one, with Justine Henin beating Svetlana Kuznetsova in Sydney, Flavia Pennetta beating Alizé Cornet in Acapulco and Ana Ivanovic beating Kuznetsova in Indian Wells.
 
Teenagers Sorana Cirstea and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova captured the doubles title with a 35-minute, 62 62 clobbering of No.3 seeds Alisa Kleybanova and Ekaterina Makarova in Saturday's final. Both Cirstea and Pavlyuchenkova won their first Tour titles of any kind.

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