Haddad Maia, Kasatkina to face off for Seoul title

After a lengthy Saturday in Seoul, No.1 seed Daria Kasatkina and No.3 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia will find themselves squaring off for the Hana Bank Korea Open title on Sunday.

Seoul: Scores | Order of Play | Draw

Play at the WTA 500 event was completely washed out on Friday, which meant four players were faced with double duty to get the singles draw back on schedule.

At the end of the marathon day, Haddad Maia and Kasatkina were the ones left standing, setting up their fourth career meeting. Haddad Maia won both of their matches in 2023, but Kasatkina beat Haddad Maia via a third-set tiebreak this year in Abu Dhabi.

Brazilian best: Brazil's Haddad Maia was the first to reach the final, posting back-to-back wins over the Kudermetova sisters on Saturday. Haddad Maia topped the younger of the siblings, lucky loser Polina, 6-2, 6-1 in Saturday's first quarterfinal.

Haddad Maia then moved on to a 6-4, 6-4 semifinal victory over Veronika Kudermetova, in a clash between former Top 10 players. The Brazilian needed 1 hour and 47 minutes to defeat the elder Kudermetova, who beat Viktoriya Tomova in the quarterfinals earlier in the day.

Surging Haddad Maia has won 11 of her last 13 matches. She reached her first final of the year a month ago in Cleveland, then made her first US Open quarterfinal before heading to Seoul. Haddad Maia had previously been a Seoul runner-up to Jelena Ostapenko in 2017.

"I was trying to think only in the present, point by point," Haddad Maia said at the end of Saturday. "I think I started the day with a match that I didn't play my best tennis, but I was very competitive.

"I'm happy that I made it to the semifinals, because I could improve my tennis, improve my serve, my returns. And I'm happy with the way I finished the day, especially with the wide serve ace [on match point]."

Top seed Kasatkina advances: Kasatkina closed out the day with a 6-3, 6-4 semifinal win over No.4 seed Diana Shnaider, which was the first meeting between the pair. Kasatkina prevailed in the Top 20 showdown in 1 hour and 17 minutes.

In the day's last match, top-seeded Kasatkina was a break down in each set, but battled back each time to clinch a spot in her fifth final of the year. Kasatkina is 1-3 in her previous finals this season, taking the title on the grass of Eastbourne.

"[Haddad Maia] never gives up, and she's an amazing player," Kasatkina said, looking ahead to the final. 

"I have to prepare well for this match," the No.1 seed added. "But for the moment, I'm just enjoying myself, enjoying being in the final. A little bit of joy now, and then come back to the office tomorrow."

Shnaider had beaten No.5 seed Marta Kostyuk earlier on Saturday, but the rising 20-year-old could not win a second match of the day and go for her fourth title of the year. 

Earlier, Kasatkina advanced into the semifinals by advancing past an injured Emma Raducanu. Kasatkina had won the first set 6-1 when 2021 US Open champion Raducanu retired with a foot injury.