STRASBOURG, France (AP) — Daria Gavrilova used her strong serve to down defending champion Caroline Garcia 6-4, 6-2 and reach the Strasbourg International final on Friday.
Gavrilova will play in her second WTA final against fellow Australian Sam Stosur, who defeated Peng Shuai of China in straight sets in the other semifinal.
The seventh-seeded Gavrilova dropped only seven points on her serve and did not face a single break point against Garcia.
"I'm really hungry to win a tournament," said Gavrilova, who was also runner-up at the Kremlin Cup last year.
If she wins the tournament, Gavrilova will overtake Stosur in the world rankings and become the new Australian No. 1.