(Los Angeles) Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, 52e world, and the Russian Varvara Gracheva (88e) qualified for the finals of the hardcourt tournament in Austin on Saturday, where they will try to win a first title on the WTA Women’s Tour.
The 20-year-old Kostyuk beat 6-4, 6-3 American Danielle Collins (38e).
After saving four break points from trailing 3-2 in the first set, Kostyuk got the same number in the next game, converting the last one to force her opponent to an unforced error.
She then maintained this advantage to win the first set, before stealing her rival’s serve immediately in the second.
Immediately caught by Collins, Kostyuk ended up breaking away definitively by breaking at 3-2, then a second time to win the match.
Varvara Gracheva joined her in the final, after a hard-fought victory 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 at the expense of American Katie Volynets.
The first two sets were played on a festival of breaks, 14 in total in 22 games played. To the benefit of the Russian first, who succeeded four against three, then of her rival who also had to take four times the opposing service to equalize.
In the third set, Volynets broke again to lead 4-2, before Gracheva won the last four games, and the match after almost two and a half hours.
The 22-year-old Russian will have to be more solid on her commitment on Sunday against Kostyuk, who leads 3 to 2 in their confrontations.