Hantuchova, Kanepi meet in Brisbane final

Unseeded players Kaia Kanepi and Daniela Hantuchova advanced Friday into the finals of the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Australia. Kanepi swept past third-seeded Francesca Schiavone 6-3, 6-0 in less than an hour in earning her fifth WTA title-match appearance. Schiavone was coming off a tough quarterfinal match against Jelena Jankovic that took nearly 3 hours. Kanepi was sharp, landing 72 percent of her first serves and winning 22-of-23 of the points when she did so. Kanepi didn't have to deal with a break point and converted five of her eight chances against Schiavone. Hantuchova claimed her finals spot when fifth-seeded Kim Clijsters retired in the second set with a back injury. Clijsters' 2011 season was cut short because of a series of injuries. Clijsters won a first-set tiebreak against Hantuchova but an early second-set break allowed Hantuchova to go up 3-1 in the set and Clijsters said she couldn't continue. Hantuchova didn't even have to play in the quarterfinals, receiving a walkover when Serena Williams withdrew with an ankle injury. Hantuchova has won all three of her career matches against Kanepi. She's looking for her fifth WTA title. Kanepi is 1-3 in championships matches.