World number 6 player Karolina Pliskova cruised past number 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 6-4 to reach her third WTA Tour final this year at the Omnium Banque Nationale in Montreal.
Pliskova has drawn level to 2-2 by winning her last two head-to-head matches against Sabalenka, who had won their first clashes.
Pliskova came back from a break down in the second set to claim the win aftrer 1 hour and 21 minutes.
Pliskova converted four of her eight break points. Sabalenka earned an early break at 4-3 in the opening set, but Pliskova got back on serve in the next game after two double faults from the Belarusian player. Pliskova held serve with her 10th ace to take a 5-4 lead and hit a powerful return on her second match point.
The Czech player has won 12 of her past 15 matches and will return to the top 5. In the final she will face the winner of the other semifinal between Camila Giorgi and Jessica Pegula. Giorgi beat Pliskova to reach the quarter finals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Pegula won all her four head-to-head matches this year. Karolina Pliskova: “I think I just used my brain maybe a bit more. It’s not that I would really play amazing tennis here because every day was a bit windy. I keep having completely different opponents, playing super slow to super fast. I accepted it’s not going to be the nicest way how I win this match. I didn’ try to go for crazy winners”.
