Clara Tauson continued to impress on the tennis courts in Dubai on Friday, and on Saturday the Dane will be in the biggest final of her career.
In the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai, the Czech Karolina Muchova, who is number 17 in the world, couldn't keep up with Tauson in the final stages of a long, gruelling match and Tauson won in three sets with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-7, 6-3.
This means that two first-time WTA 1000 finalists will square off for the title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Saturday after the 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva, who is number 14 in the world ranking, won the first semifinal by upsetting Kazakhstani sixth seed Elena Rybakina 6-4 4-6 6-3.
The 22-year-old Tauson won all four points in the 10th game to take the opening set.
Czech Muchova fought back in the second to force a decider, but Tauson gained the decisive break for a 5-3 lead in the third set before finally clinching victory in a battle that lasted almost three hours to reach her second final of the season, having already won the WTA 250 ASB Classic in January when Naomi Osaka retired from the final.
"Muchova is such a great player. I don't know what to say. I don't know how I won today, I just tried to keep my cool and play good tennis," the world number 38 said.