Martinez Sanchez, Voskoboeva reach Seoul final

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SEOUL: Unseeded Galina Voskoboeva reached her first WTA final after she battled back in the second set to record a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Slovakia's fifth seed Polona Hercog in the Hansol Korea Open Saturday.

Kazakh Voskoboeva takes on Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez on Sunday in Seoul after the six-seeded Spaniard saw off Czech player Klara Zakopalova 6-3, 6-2 in just over an hour in the first semi.

Voskoboeva, 26, wrapped up the first set in 27 minutes but faltered in the second, finding herself 4-1 down.

But she somehow saved the sixth game and then took the next four against the more fancied Hercog.

Voskoboeva and Martinez Sanchez, 29, have played each other only once before, three years ago, with the Kazakh winning in three sets.

Sunday's showdown will be the sixth WTA final for Martinez Sanchez but her first on hardcourts. Her first five finals, of which she won four, were on clay.