Cibulkova, Radwanska reach Stanford final

After meeting at the Sydney International in January, Agnieszka Radwanska and Dominika Cibulkova will face off again in the WTA's Stanford final.

Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska booked her third final of 2013, routing Jamie Hampton 6-3 6-2 at the WTA Stanford event on Saturday to set up a title clash with Dominika Cibulkova.

The last time Poland's Radwanska and Cibulkova met was in the Sydney International final in January, Australia where Radwanska crushed the Slovakian 6-0 6-0.

Radwanska doesn't think the rematch will be so easy.

"She's not the type of player that I can beat again by a double bagel," said Radwanska, who is 4-0 lifetime against Cibulkova. "I just hope I can play the same tennis that I did today."

Cibulkova also cruised to victory, winning 6-4 6-0 over Sorana Cirstea in the other semi-final of the hardcourt tournament.

Radwanska has 12 career titles having won back-to-back tournaments to start the year.

She beat Yanina Wickmayer 6-4 6-4 in the Auckland final before destroying Cibulkova a week later.

World No.4 Radwanska served magnificently on Saturday night, especially in the second set where she won 11 of 12 first-serve points.

She fired two aces and won 78 per cent of her first-serve points overall in the 71-minute match against Hampton.

She clinched the victory on first match point by blasting a serve down the line that Hampton pounded into the net.

The 24-year-old Radwanska hit a modest 11 winners but she made just seven unforced errors compared to 35 for Hampton.

Cibulkova, who saved all six break points she faced in the opening frame, easily avenged a loss to Cirstea in the quarter-finals of this tournament last year.

The 24-year-old Cibulkova, who is seeking her third career WTA Tour title to go with wins last year on the hardcourts of Carlsbad and Moscow, said she was determined to be aggressive.

"I was not afraid to hit the ball and go for it," said Cibulkova, who is ranked 25th in the world.

"I was better in the important points."

On Saturday, she won 61 per cent of her first serve points and 62 per cent of her second serve points against fifth-seeded Cirstea in the 82-minute match.

Cirstea had five aces in the first set, but made almost double the number of unforced errors as Cibulkova.

Cibulkova blasted a forehand winner down the line to give herself a break point in the fifth game of the second set.

Cirstea then knocked another backhand long to leave Cibulkova serving for the match at 5-0.

Cibulkova clinched it on match point, when Cirstea hammered a forehand long.

"I was making her move more on the important points," Cibulkova said. "I would rather lose the point myself than have her hit a winner."


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