GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Reuters) -American Iva Jovic won a battle of teenagers as she recovered from a second-set wobble to beat Czech Nikola Bartunkova 6-3 6-7(5) 6-3 in the semi-finals of the Guadalajara Open on Saturday, booking her place in the showdown with Emiliana Arango.
Seventeen-year-old Jovic, ranked 73rd in the world, got off to a blistering start by winning the opening three games before taking a 5-2 lead en route to taking the first set.
While the second set was a tight affair, Jovic regained her composure in the decider to outplay her 19-year-old opponent and reach her first WTA tour-level final in a match lasting nearly three hours.
In the other semi-final of the WTA 500 hardcourt event, Colombian Arango produced a composed performance to defeat Frenchwoman Elsa Jacquemot 6-4 7-5 in under two hours.
Arango, who was runner-up in Merida in February, is also chasing a maiden WTA singles title.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)
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