Pierce, Novotna in summit clash

NEW YORK, Nov 23: A pair of first-time finalist will do battle for the last title of the year when seventh-seed Mary Pierce takes on second-seed Jana Novotna in tonight’s best-of-five set for the Chase Championships crown. Novotna played a near flawless second set to power her way past sluggish eighth-seed Irina Spirlea of Romania 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 in 73 minutes.

“Getting to the final of this tournament is a new experience. I’m looking forward to playing it so much, because I never played a five-setter,” said Novotna, who qualified for the elite 16-player field for the ninth consecutive year.

Pierce managed to avoid a letdown after her huge quarter-final upset of world number one Martina Hingis. The seventh-seed overcame a second set lapse to hold off her Fed Cup teammate Nathalie Tauziat 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in just over two hours in an all French semi-final.

American Lindsay Davenport and Czech Jana Novotna capped their first year of partnership with a 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-2 win over French duo Alexandra Fusai and Nathalie Tauziat in the doubles final.