The Italian tennis player Flavia Pennetta has cruised into the final of the ASB Classic in Auckland with a straight sets victory over Angelique Kerber of Germany on Friday.
The fourth seed was untroubled in the semi-final, breaking three times to take the first set 6-1, then completing her revenge for last year's quarter-final defeat at the US Open to Kerber with two breaks - including match point, taking the second set 6-2.
Pennetta's yet to drop a set at Stanley Street in 2012.
However, there was a shock in the second semi-final when the unseeded Zheng Jie of China took nearly 2½ hours to wear down third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia.
Kutznetsova won the first set 6-2 but Zheng then regrouped, sealing the win 6-3,6-3. The final takes place on Saturday.
Pullouts hit men's event
Two more withdrawals have weakened the field for next week's Heineken Open men's tennis tournament in Auckland.
The 2005 champion Fernando Gonzalez of Chile and Spaniard Tommy Robredo have joined fourth seed Juan Monaco of Argentina in pulling out of next week's ATP event.
A virus is behind Gonzalez's no-show while injury has caused Robredo to withdraw.
