LINZ, Austria — Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova defeated Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 Saturday to set up a final against Anna-Lena Friedsam at the Generali Ladies.
The seventh-seeded Russian is eyeing her eighth WTA title and first of the season, while Friedsam will appear in her maiden final.
The 118th-ranked German beat Johanna Larsson of Sweden 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in the first semifinal.
"That's super great, I am very proud of myself," Friedsam said.
Pavlyuchenkova, who was runner-up in Washington in August and is 7-4 in career finals, has never played Friedsam before.
The 29th-ranked Pavlyuchenkova, who was the only seeded player to make it beyond the second round of the Austrian indoor event, looked headed for a routine victory when leading Flipkens 6-3, 3-0.