Williams and Pennetta to meet in Acapulco final

When Venus Williams defeated Flavia Pennetta in Zurich in 2008, she reversed a winning streak by Pennetta that had gone on since 2007. Pennetta had defeated Williams in Bangkok in 2007, and in the French Open (round of 16) and Moscow in 2008. Williams had defeated her once before--in Seoul in 2007, and tomorrow, she will try to bring the rivalry to three matches apiece.

Pennetta defeated Iveta Benesova today to reach the final, and Williams defated Barbora Zahlavova Strycov.

Pennetta recently said that Williams's game has never particularly bothered her. It gives many other players fits, of course, but Pennetta likes to play Williams. Their paths to the final have been quite different: Williams has struggled somewhat, and Pennetta has cruised through. Pennetta is the defending champion, so the pressure is on her to retain the title. This is her sixth consecutive Aierto Mexicano TELCEL final.

One bit of pressure is off, however: The top Italian player and her doubles partner, Gisela Dulko, were eliminated in the semifinal today by Lourdes Dominguez Lino and Arantxa Parra Santonja.