Ostapenko holds on to grab her final spot
Defending champion Jelena Ostapenko withstood a stirring fightback from Liudmila Samsonova yesterday to book her place in the final of the Luxembourg Open.
The Latvian looked to be coasting to victory at 6-1 5-1 before an unexpected collapse saw her eventually squeeze through a tie-break to triumph 6-1 7-6 (4).
Ostapenko failed twice to serve out for the match and even had to rally from 4-1 behind in the tie-break to avoid heading into a decisive third set.
She admitted in her on-court interview: “At some point I stopped playing my game. I missed so many balls and started to rush.
“I played really well in the beginning but I just couldn’t close it. I had to fight and enjoy it.”
The former French Open champion will face 18-year-old Clara Tauson in the final after the Dane beat fifth seed Marketa Vondrousova 6-4 2-6 6-4.
The world No. 70 took just over two hours to book her place in her second career final, continuing the form that saw her beat Emma Raducanu to lift the WTA 125 Chicago crown prior to the US Open.
Unseeded Italian Jasmine Paolini continued her stunning week in Portoroz as she beat second seed Yulia Putintseva 1-6 6-3 6-4 to reach her first WTA final.
The 25-year-old, who had never previously progressed beyond the quarter-finals of a tour event, raised eyebrows by pushing Victoria Azarenka in the second round of the US Open.
And she shrugged off a poor first set, breaking Putintseva in her opening service game of the second and establishing control to set up a final against Alison Riske in Slovenia.
The 31-year-old American overcame local favourite Kaja Juvan 6-0 6-4 and will be looking to claim her third career title and her first since 2019.