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By Alberto Amalfi | Friday, January 5, 2018

Elina Svitolina is starting the new year realizing familiar final resolution.

Svitolina dethroned defending Brisbane International champion Karolina Pliskova, 7-5, 7-5, surging into the Brisbane final.

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The sixth-ranked Ukrainian out-aced the 2017 WTA ace leader (6 to 5) and protected her second serve with more diligence in a 99-minute victory.

Svitolina won 47 percent of her second-serve points compared to 36 percent for the 2016 US Open finalist in avenging a 6-2, 6-4, Brisbane semifinal setback to Pliskova last January.

Pliskova roared out to a 4-0 lead before Svitolina settled in and began grinding the six-foot Czech down.

"Of course, I was missing a lot," Svitolina told WTATennis.com. "There was lots of unforced errors. But in the end, I didn't really change the way I was playing. I just started to play more aggressive and, you know, just more composed. And this was what brought me back into the game." It was Svitolina's second straight win over Pliskova, who won their first five meetings.

The 23-year-old Svitolina, who led the WTA with five titles in 2017, will play for her 10th career championship tomorrow against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.



The energetic Belarusian became the first qualifier to reach the final in the tournament’s 10-year-history when she surprised seventh-seeded Anastasija Sevastova, 7-6 (3), 6-4.



The 88th-ranked Sasnovich extended her winning streak to seven matches, including three-set, main-draw wins over sixth-seeded Kristina Mladenovic, Anett Kontaveit and Alizé Cornet.

"I'm feeling very good," Sasnovich said. "I already said in the beginning of the tournament I couldn't even imagine that I would be in the final. So it's good for me, good for our country, good for all the people who support me. Without them it is not possible."

Svitolina is playing for her first title since she knocked off four Top 10 players in succession—Venus Williams, Garbine Muguruza, Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki—to capture the Toronto title last August.


 

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