Flavia Pennetta reaches 6th Acapulco final

Flavia Pennetta reached her sixth consecutive final at the Mexican Open on Friday by dispatching 2004 champion Iveta Benesova 6-3, 6-3.

The No. 2-seeded Pennetta, the defending champion, will play Saturday against the winner of the late semifinal between top-seeded Venus Williams and unseeded Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic.

Benesova beat Pennetta in the 2004 final, but the Italian served better on Friday, and pounced on far more chances than Benesova could produce. Pennetta claimed four of eight break points and lost her serve only once to the fourth-seeded Czech.

Pennetta will be trying to add to the Acapulco titles she won in 2005 and 2008.

This will be her 15th career final, of which nine have been in Latin America.