MOSCOW — Tunisian qualifier Ons Jabeur became the first player from her country to reach a WTA final on Friday, and she will next face Daria Kasatkina for the Kremlin Cup title.
Jabeur, the 2011 junior champion at the French Open, beat Anastasija Sevastova 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the semifinals.
Playing her seventh match in as many days after coming through qualifying, Jabeur twice was down a break in the third set before breaking Sevastova at love to take a 5-3 lead.
The 101st-ranked Jabeur is now guaranteed to surpass the previous best ranking by a woman from an Arab country. Another Tunisian, Selima Sfar, reached No. 75 in 2001.
Kasatkina, ranked 14th, beat Johanna Konta 6-4, 6-3 to advance.
Since winning her first final in April 2017, Kasatkina has lost three in a row, including at last year’s Kremlin Cup.
In the men’s draw, Andreas Seppi reached the semifinals in his bid for a first title since the 2012 Kremlin Cup. The Italian upset fourth-seeded Filip Krajinovic 6-4, 7-6 (2).
Seppi will next face Adrian Mannarino, who beat Belarusian qualifier Egor Gerasimov 7-6 (3), 6-3.