Unseeded Russian Olga Puchkova upset former world No.1 Venus Williams of the United States 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 to reach the final of the Brazil Tennis Cup on Friday.

The world No. 109 will meet Monica Niculescu in Saturday's final after the 75th-ranked Romanian swept aside seventh-seed Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-0, 6-2.

Playing in her first tournament since losing to Maria Sharapova in the third round of the Australian Open in January, Williams started strongly against Puchkova before succumbing to a series of unforced errors and double faults.

"I did all I could, I'm sorry," Williams told the crowd in a post-match interview. "But I can honestly say that I had a lot of fun in Brazil."

The hardcourt event in the southern Brazilian city of Florianopolis offers 250,000 US dollars in total prize money.

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