BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA (TICKER) -- Rita Grande of
Italy, the lone seed still alive in the field, advanced
to the finals of the $110,000 Slovak Indoor
hardcourt tennis tournament Saturday.<br><br>Grande, seeded
fourth, posted a 6-3, 6-2 victory over local favorite
Ludmila Cervanova. She had a more difficult quarterfinal
match, getting past Germany's Bianka Lamade, 5-7, 6-4,
7-6 (7-5), on Friday.<br><br>Grande became the last
seed still standing on Friday when No. 2 seed Anne
Kremer of Luxembourg was dumped by Cervanova, 6-2,
6-2.<br><br>It has been a breakthrough season for Grande, who
has climbed to 38th in the world. She captured her
first career title at the ANZ Tasmanian International
in Hobart, Australia in January and is trying to
reach her second final of the year.<br><br>In
Saturday's other semifinal, Slovakia's Martina Sucha
recorded a 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Italy's Adriana
Serra-Zanetti in a battle of qualifiers.<br><br>Sucha stunned
No. 5 Denise Chladkova of the Czech Republic in the
second round and will be playing in her first career
final.<br><br>Top-seeded Czech Daja Bedanova went out in the first round.
On Thursday, No. 3 Francesca Schiavone of Italy,
Chladkova and No. 7 Nathalie Dechy of France were
bounced.<br><br>The winner collects $16,000.