Azerbaijan, Jul 19: The third-seeded Elena Vesnina overcame fellow Russian Yana Buchina 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 in the inaugural Baku Cup on Tuesday to begin another quest for her first WTA title.
Vesnina has reached five finals on tour.
Buchina led 2-0 in the third set when Vesnina called a medical timeout to receive treatment to her right shoulder. When play resumed, Vesnina immediately recovered the break. She missed two match points on Buchina's serve at 5-4, and closed out the match on her third match point with a blistering service return.
Vesnina will next play former top-15 player Aravane Rezai, whose personal problems have seen her form suffer and her ranking slump to 112. The Frenchwoman easily overcame 15-year-old Kamilla Farhad of Azerbaijan 6-0, 6-2. AP
