Tunisia's Ons Jabeur moved into the first WTA 1000 final of her career when she beat Russian qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2 6-3 at the Madrid Open on Thursday.
Alexandrova held a 6-1 head-to-head record against eighth seed Jabeur but it was the Tunisian who showed flair and impeccable court coverage to get the better of the qualifier.
"I felt like I was sick of losing against her all the time. So I came here to take my revenge," Jabeur said in a post-match interview.
"I feel like this tournament is a revenge tournament, every match. I'm very glad with my performance. I know she plays really well, so I tried to really impose my rhythm. I'm very happy with the level I played with today."
The pair traded breaks in the opening set but Jabeur stepped up her game to break Alexandrova at 3-2, breaking with a lob at the net.
Jabeur let out a scream of elation as the crowd got to their feet and the 27-year-old did not look back, breaking four times in the match to wrap up the contest in 61 minutes.
She will play either American Jessica Pegula or Swiss Jil Teichmann in Saturday's final.
Saudi Arabia booked their place in the Arabian Gulf Cup final after defeating Qatar 3-2 on penalties following a goalless draw after extra time in Saturday's first semi-final at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah.
Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka scored twice apiece as England dismantled Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka on Saturday, with Jude Bellingham scoring one goal and creating three more in a rampant Nations League display.
Three-times Grand Slam champion Elena Rybakina crashed out of the China Open with a shock 3-6 6-4 6-3 defeat by unseeded Alina Charaeva in the second round on Saturday, marking a disappointing start to her reign as world number one.
Samuel Lino scored his first two goals for Brazil as India's frantic effort to hold off the five-time world champions faded after a spirited start, allowing the visitors to cruise to a 4-0 win in a friendly on Saturday.
Hear the highlights from the week gone by on Dubai Eye 103.8. Listen again to the best interviews, advice and the top stories that has gripped our conversation this week.
Apple Inc. shares fell Monday after a closely followed analyst warned that demand for the firm’s new iPhone 16 Pro model has been lower than expected. Is this a sign that the AI software just isn’t ready?
Dubai’s current population is more than double compared to almost twenty years ago, which now stands at 3.7 million. Lots of families are also moving to the UAE now. So what does it mean for the property market?