Kolkata: Former world number one Martina Hingis produced a masterclass to rout Indian hope Sania Mirza 6-1 6-0 and storm into the final of the Kolkata Open on Saturday.
The Swiss top-seed reached her fourth final since making a full-time return to the tour this year, having retired in 2002 with foot and ankle injuries.
She will take on 18-year-old Russian Olga Poutchkova, who clinched her maiden WTA final appearance with a 6-4 6-4 semi-final victory over Uzbek qualifier Iroda Tulyaganova.
The 85th-ranked Poutchkova displayed a gifted backhand against the shaky Tulyaganova, a former world number 16 on a comeback after a lengthy layoff following elbow surgery in 2003.
The US-based Poutchkova was thrilled at the prospect of playing her idol on Sunday. "I remember when I was 10-years-old watching Martina play on TV," she said. "For me, it will be a big honour to play against her tomorrow."
The 25-year-old Hingis, who has already won the Italian Open this season, showed glimpses of the class which fetched her five grand slam singles titles to stun the fans rooting for fifth seed Mirza at the indoor stadium.
Hingis broke the 19-year-old Indian in the fourth and sixth games to wrap up the opening set as she reeled off 11 games in a row.
Mirza briefly fought back, forcing break point five times in the fourth game of the second set which saw many long rallies, but Hingis recovered every time to hold serve.
"I'm sorry, I too want to win," Hingis joked with the crowd. Mirza became the toast of her nation last year after becoming the first Indian to win a WTA title and racing to 31 in the rankings.
However, she has struggled to match that run in 2006 to slip to 70 in the WTA list.
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