TORONTO -- The Rogers Cup has its first all-Russian women's final.
Elena Dementieva advanced to the championship game Saturday with a 7-6 (2), 6-1 win over an error-prone Serena Williams of the U.S. Dementieva, the fourth seed, will face Maria Sharapova in Sunday's final (CBC, 1:30 p.m. ET) after the former world No. 1 outlasted Alisa Kleybanova 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in the late semifinal.
Sharapova has dominated Dementieva in her career, winning eight of 10 all-time meetings. They last played at the 2008 Australian Open, where Sharapova routed Dementieva 6-2, 6-0 in the round of 16.
"She's a grinder," Sharapova said of Dementieva. "She makes you hit a lot of balls. You really have to be steady with her, and take your opportunities when you get them . . . and most importantly, go out there and execute what your plan is."
Dementieva kept her cool Saturday while overcoming a 5-3 first-set deficit, and made the second-seeded Williams look ordinary in front of an enthusiastic stadium court crowd at the Rexall Centre. Dementieva also avenged her loss to Williams in the semifinals at Wimbledon, a three-set classic that took nearly three hours to play.
"I was really waiting for this match after Wimbledon," said Dementieva, who has two tournament wins this year but none since January. "It's always very interesting to play against Serena, and I was looking for revenge after Wimbledon.
"I was very positive on the court, and very satisfied with the way I was playing."
Williams did her part to make things easier for Dementieva. The 2001 Rogers Cup champion was broken five times in the match and looked out of rhythm from the start, hitting routine shots long, wide or into the net.
"I can't say I was especially feeling the fire," said Williams, who committed 36 unforced errors. "Obviously you want to do well, and I always really want to do well. Honestly, I think I could have and should have won, but I didn't, so . . . it is what it is."
Williams entered Saturday having been broken just once in her first three matches -- and it was the only break point opportunity she had allowed all tournament. But she struggled from the outset against Dementieva, giving up a break in the third game of the match.
The players traded several more breaks -- six in total -- before Dementieva prevailed in the tiebreaker, opening up a 4-1 lead and eventually capturing the set when Williams hit a forehand long. It was the first set Williams had lost all tournament.
Williams suggested things might have been different had she fared better in the tiebreak.
"I really probably should have won the first set, which probably would have (led to) a different result," said Williams. "But I didn't. I started making a lot of errors (on) key shots I should have made."
Dementieva broke Williams early in the second set to jump ahead 2-0, and held serve the rest of the way as a frustrated Williams continued to pile on the unforced errors. The match came to an end when Williams pushed a forehand wide.
In the late semifinal, Sharapova gutted out a victory over Kleybanova, who needed three hours 16 minutes to get past No. 5 Jelena Jankovic a night earlier. Sharapova, who missed nearly a year with a serious shoulder injury, will be making her first appearance in a final since April 2008.
"It's really exciting . . . it's success by itself," said Sharapova. "To go out there (Sunday) and play my sixth match is really an accomplishment. Coming back after not playing for a while is always tough, so I'm really grateful that I have a chance to be in another final in my career."
Kleybanova gamely fought off 12 break points in her first two service games before Sharapova capitalized on No. 13, ripping a crosscourt winner to take a 2-1 lead. Sharapova converted her next break point chance to extend her advantage to 4-1 and held serve from there, making good on her third set point.
Kleybanova opened the second set with a flourish, breaking Sharapova for the first time in the match and building a 3-0 lead. Sharapova stormed back to level the set 4-4, but Kleybanova pulled back in front and earned a break to win the set after Sharapova committed her ninth double-fault.
Another break -- again capped by a Sharapova double fault -- put Kleybanova up 3-1 in the third set. But Sharapova clawed back again, breaking Kleybanova twice to roar ahead 5-4.
She closed out the two-hour 37-minute marathon with back-to-back aces, her third and fourth of the match.