India's [ Images ] Sania Mirza [ Images ] and Alisa Kleybanova of Russia [ Images ] battled their way into the final of the girls' doubles at Wimbledon [ Images ] on Friday, beating Ally Baker and Iris Ichim of the United States.

The Indo-Russian pair, who had beaten Emma Laine of Finland and Nadja Pavic of Crotia 6-1, 6-2 in the quarter-finals, won 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

Games went with serve in the first set till Mirza and Kleybanova effected the first break in the eighth game to go up 5-3. They then held serve to take the set 6-3.

In the second set, Mirza and partner broke their opponents in the first and third games to race to a 3-0 lead. Backer and Ichim looked like making a fight of the match as they held a break-point in the fourth game and forced duece a couple of times. But the Indo-Russian pair held their nerve and served out the set to go up 4-0.

Games then went with serve and just when it appeared that the Indo-Russian pair would cruise home, they got complacent and were broken in the eighth game.

Backer and Ichim broke again in the tenth game to level the scores 5-5, and again in the 12th, to take the second set.

The decider was a battle royal as both pairs held serve for the first six games before Mirza and Kleybanova effected a break in the seventh to go up 4-3. But the Americans broke back immediately at love to level at 4-4.

Mirza and Kleybanova hit back in the next, returning the break to lead 5-4. They then served out the set after wasting three set points to take the match at 6-4.

In the other semi-final, Katerina Bohmova of Czech Republic and Michaela Krajicek of the Netherlands will face Megan Falcon of the US and Adriana Gonzalez Penas of Spain.

Earlier report