Star Metro - Kasatkina to face Fernandez in Eastbourne WTA final

Sixth seed Kasatkina came from behind to defeat Jasmine Paolini 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in her semi-final on England's south coast on Friday while Fernandez defeated reigning champion Madison Keys.

Paolini, the third seed, was playing her first tournament since the French Open, where she reached the finals of both the singles and the doubles earlier this month.

The Italian broke three times in the first set to establish a foothold in a match in which there were nine breaks of serve in total.

The first 11 games of the second set went with serve until Paolini cracked, allowing Kasatkina to level.

The third seed took a 2-0 lead in the decider but saw her advantage slip as her Russian opponent broke twice to win.

"It's never easy to come to a tournament where you have to defend a lot of (ranking) points, but I'm really happy that I was able to play good and enjoy myself on court, always finding a way to come back in the match," Kasatkina said. "I'm really proud of myself."

The 27-year-old added: "On grass, everything can change in any moment, so I was trying to be focused on each point and fight until the end... against a great player who's playing incredible this year."

Kasatkina now faces Fernandez, beaten in the 2021 US Open final by Britain's Emma Raducanu, with the Canadian bidding for a fourth title in her career.

World number 30 Fernandez, 21, overcame American fourth seed Keys 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in blustery conditions at Devonshire Park.

"Grass suits Leylah very good," said Kasatkina. "Her game, she's a very aggressive player, always trying to stay inside (the court).

"She's in great form now, beat very good players this week. In the finals, everyone wants to win, so I'll just go and try to enjoy myself, and let's see how this final is going to turn out."

In the men's tournament, Australia's Max Purcell takes on Britain's Billy Harris while top seed Taylor Fritz plays Australian Aleksandar Vukic.

O.Martin--SMC