STRASBOURG, France - Ukrainian teenager Dayana Yastremska advanced to her second final of the season with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over No.2 seed Aryna Sabalenka on Friday at the Internationaux de Strasbourg.

The victory over the World No.11 is Yastremska's best career win in terms of ranking this season, having previously beaten then-World No.15 Garbiñe Muguruza en route to winning her first title of the year in Hua Hin, Thailand, in February. 

The No.5 seed more than matched the power of the big-hitting Sabalenka off the ground, rifling off twice the number of winners (36) as the Belarusian (17), and never faced a break point in the second set as she rounded to a one hour, 25-minute victory.

"It's a good win for me, against a good player," Yastremska said. "It's my second time being in Strasbourg...and it is nice to be back here, it's nice to show a good performance, and get to the finals.

"I didn't really expect to be in the final, because I had a tough period before. I was doing the work, I was trusting in myself, took a little bit of confidence, and I'm ready to compete tomorrow.

"Match by match, I was following my plan...it's the small details, and then you put it all together."


After the pair traded breaks to begin the match, Yastremska never again trailed in the opener after scoring the decisive break in the fifth game of the set.

The second set proceeded in much of the same fashion, with the teenager sealing a break advantage early on in the third game, and she never looked back from there.

Sabalenka held on valiantly in the set's late stages, saving three match points on her serve to force the World No.42 to serve it out herself, but Yastremska sealed victory on her fourth overall match point.

"Every match this week, I have some tricks with the match points," Yastremska said.

"Today, was a bit fun. When I lost the game from three match points, I said, 'Okay, next game. My serve, I'm going to take it.' I was very happy...I was like, 'Okay, it's done,' and I was really happy to be in the finals."


Yastremska arrived in Strasbourg on a four-match losing streak, but has not lost a set en route to her third career WTA singles final, where she will face either No.4 seed Caroline Garcia or wildcard Chloe Paquet.

"I lost three matches in a row on clay courts. In Madrid, I got sick. In Rome, I couldn't really prepare...I knew I wasn't really ready, and that's why I had doubts. I knew that if I would continue to work, that I would win, and that happened here in Strasbourg," she said.

"I don't expect anything tomorrow. I'm going to focus on myself. I practiced with Garcia in Rome...she's a good player, was Top 10. I will hope to be the first Ukrainian player to win the singles title here in Strasbourg."