Iga Swiatek will face Jasmine Paolini in the final of the Cincinnati Open on Monday.
The Wimbledon champion continued her strong summer by beating Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 to reach the championship match of the WTA 1000 event for the first time.
Rybakina beat Aryna Sabalenka in the previous round to get a 5-3 lead in the opening set, but Swiatek responded in a row with four game runs, retaining the second-early advantage.
“It was certainly a great match,” Swiatek said. “We played such high intensity from the start. I was just aiming for it. I really knew I couldn’t leave my feet off the gas, I need to be really aggressive.
“Even though Elena broke me on the first set, she was doing something amazing and was about to come up with some ideas to return some of her serves.
Paolini set up a rematch for last year’s French Open Finals by fighting Russia’s Veronica Kudametova 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3 victory.
Paolini served the match in the second set just to see her advantage escape, but she ended up completing the job.
