Pliskova takes on Martic at Zhengzhou Open final

Tennis

Top-seeded Karolina Pliskova advanced to the Zhengzhou Open final with a clinical 6-3, 62 victory over Ajla Tomljanovic on Saturday.

Pliskova clinched her third straight win against Tomljanovic this season, taking 93% of her first service points to reach her fifth final of the year. She had six aces.

Pliskova's opponent in the final is seventh-seeded Petra Martic, who defeated Kristina Mladenovic 6-0, 6-3 in the other semifinal.

Martic won her first title this year — in Istanbul — before she reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time at Roland Garros and made the Top 20 rankings.

The 28-year-old Martic broke three times in a 21-minute opening set and sealed victory with her third ace.