Jankovic to meet Zvonareva in Kremlin Cup final

MOSCOW (Reuters) - World number one Jelena Jankovic overcame a dreadful start to power past holder Elena Dementieva 0-6 6-1 6-0 in the Kremlin Cup semi-finals on Saturday.

The Russian third seed blew Jankovic off the court in the first set but the Serb returned the favor by taking 12 of the last 13 games to clinch the see-saw encounter that lasted one hour 45 minutes.

The top seed will face Vera Zvonareva in Sunday's final after the Russian upset second-seeded compatriot Dinara Safina 6-2 7-6 in the second semi-final.

Former world number one Marat Safin, Dinara's older brother, will represent the Safin family in the men's final on Sunday after his semi-final opponent, 98th-ranked German Mischa Zverev withdrew with illness, the ATP said.

Unseeded Russian Igor Kunitsyn takes on Frenchman Fabrice Santoro in the second men's semi later on Saturday.

Jankovic, who also beat Dementieva in the U.S. Open semi-finals last month, said: "I didn't play bad in the first set but Elena was just too good.

"But I tried to stay positive and wanted to take the initiative from her and dictate the points.

"I must say I'm a bit tired physically as I've played a lot recently but mentally I'm fresh and tomorrow I'll try to win my third title in a row," added the in-form Jankovic, who won titles in Stuttgart and Beijing in the past two weeks.

Dementieva gave credit to her opponent.

"Her defensive game is just phenomenal," the Olympic champion told a news conference.

"No matter what shot you hit, she is able to get to it and hits everything back at you. It seems like she can cover not only a tennis court but a whole soccer field.

"Well, she is number one and she played like number one."

(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)