By Chris Oddo | Sunday October 14, 2017
Daria Gavrilova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will meet for the second time on Sunday in the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open.
More: Sharapova Reaches Tianjin Final, Her First Since 2015
Both players won in straight sets on Saturday, with Gavrilova defeating American Jennifer Brady, 6-0, 7-5, and Pavlyuchenkova easing past China’s Wang Qiang, 6-3, 6-4.
Gavrilova started on fire, bageling Brady in the opener, but was tested in the second set when the American rallied from a break down to level at 5-all in set two. But Gavrilova took the final two games to reach her third final of the season.
She will bid for her second title of the season, and second overall, when she faces World No.21 Pavlyuchenkova. The Russian powered past Wang with some scintillating baseline play, converting six of nine break points and winning 12 of 19 points against Wang’s second serve.
Pavlyuchenkova will play her fourth final of the year, and seventeenth overall. She fell to Gavrilova in three sets in their only previous meeting at Moscow last year.
Pavlychenkova will bid for her 11th career title and third of 2017.