Tomljanovic beats Potapova to reach first WTA final in five years

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Tomljanovic beats Potapova to reach first WTA final in five years

Tomljanovic in action in Birmingham
Tomljanovic in action in BirminghamAFP
Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic (31) reached her first WTA final in five years on Saturday with a straight-sets win over Russia's Anastasia Potapova (23) at the Birmingham grass-court tournament.

The former world number 32, now ranked 190, came through against the seventh seed 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.

In Sunday's final, Tomljanovic will face fellow unseeded player Yulia Putintseva after the Kazakh eased to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

"I just tried to keep a cool head. I felt like I was a bit too into it at the beginning, and I felt like I was losing a lot of energy just caring about every single point," Tomljanovic said.

"I just tried to let go whatever happened, and focus on what I can control."

Tomljanovic last reached a WTA final in 2019 on hard courts in Hua Hin, Thailand.

The 31-year-old missed much of the 2023 season due to knee surgery and is bidding for her first title in her 180th WTA main draw.