Belgian Yanina Wickmayer and Czech Petra Kvitova will play for the Generali Ladies Linz title as they upset top seed Flavia Pennetta 7-6(5) 6-3 and second seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3 6-2 respectively.

Both Wickmayer and Kvitova have won one WTA Tour singles title so far in their careers, and both came this season. Wickmayer was victorious in Estoril, while Kvitova claimed her maiden title in Hobart.

Wickmayer was a surprise semifinalist at the 2009 US Open, and even beat Kvitova en route to that career achievement. The Belgian leads the Czech 2-1 in career meetings. (photo via Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)

Wow, we’re having two Belgians in the US Open semifinals, and Justine Henin is not one of them – there is less known 19-year-old Yanina Wickmayer, ranked 50th in the world, winner of one WTA title (the 2009 Estoril Open), and former world No.1 Kim Clijsters, who is playing only her third tournament after a two-year-long absence from competitive tennis. Who would have expected this?

The 2005 US Open champion Clijsters was the first to reach the semis, with her victory over Li Na. Wickmayer, who had never went further than the second round at a Grand Slam, became one of the final four players at this US Open by beating Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko 7-5 6-4 in the quarters.

For a place in the final Wickmayer will play against another teenager, either American hope Melanie Oudin or No.9 seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. (photo: emmett.hume)

Unseeded Belgian Yanina Wickmayer and sixth seed Ekaterina Makarova, rivals in the Estoril Open final, were both looking for their first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title while contesting their second Tour final, but Wickmayer won the match 7-5 6-2.

Makarova lost her previous final just one week ago, at Fes. The 19-year-old Wickmayer, on the other hand, hasn’t played a final since June last year, when she lost to Kateryna Bondarenko at Birmingham.

This week Wickmayer won back-to-back Sony Ericsson WTA Tour-level matches for the first time this year. She beat three other seeds en route to the Estoril Open final, including fifth seed Petra Kvitova in the first round, third seed Sorana Cirstea in the quarterfinals and seventh seed Shahar Peer who retired with right foot injury in the semifinals.

At No.88, Wickmayer is currently the top-ranked Belgian; at No.43, Makarova is the Russian No.10. (via Estoril Open)