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PATTAYA, Thailand -- Conchita Martinez reached the Volvo Open final when Russia's Evgenia Linetskaya quit during the second set Saturday because of heat exhaustion.
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Martinez, seeded third, will play Anna Lena Groenefeld of Germany for the title Sunday. Linetskaya retired with her Spanish opponent ahead 6-2, 4-0 on a day when temperatures hit 90 degrees and the humidity was 70 percent.
Groenefeld, seeded seventh, overcame a shaky start to defeat eighth-seeded Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Martinez used a variety of shots to counter her 18-year-old opponent's powerful groundstrokes, forcing a string of unforced errors.
"I tried to play my game," Martinez said. "She hit the balls hard so I tried to use my forehand, spins, slices and high balls."
With Martinez leading 1-0 in the second set, Linetskaya called for a trainer and went to the locker room for treatment. The Russian returned to the court and quickly lost the next three games before retiring.
"I made her run a lot," Martinez said. "She had to run for the balls. I think that was a lot of her problem."
