Anna Kalinskaya defeated Emma Raducanu 6-4, 6-3 at the Washington Open to reach the final, where she will take on Leylah Fernandez.
Both players started strongly, but Kalinskaya claimed the first break to go up 5-4 before closing out the opening set, handing Raducanu her first set loss of the event.
The second set saw early breaks exchanged before Kalinskaya regained control, building a decisive advantage before securing another break to confirm her victory.
By preventing a rematch of the 2021 US Open final between Raducanu and Fernandez, Kalinskaya now has the opportunity to claim her first WTA 500 title in Sunday’s showdown.
"It was an interesting match. Facing Emma was a good challenge," said world No. 48 Kalinskaya. "I’m pleased with how I played—staying aggressive and sticking to my strategy worked well."
Speaking about her next opponent, she added, "Leylah is a fierce competitor who never lets up. Our last meeting was tough, so I expect another hard-fought match tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to it."
In the earlier semifinal, Fernandez recovered from a set down to overcome third-seeded Elena Rybakina 6-7(2), 7-6(3), 7-6(3) in a grueling battle dominated by strong serving from both.
Rybakina narrowly took the first set, clinching the tiebreak with two sharp returns.
Despite Fernandez losing her serve at the start of the second set, Rybakina failed to close out the match at 5-4, allowing the Canadian to battle back and force a decider by winning the second tiebreak.
The third set mirrored the opener, with neither player losing serve, but Fernandez gained momentum to prevail after three hours and 12 minutes, securing her first final of the year.
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