Vera Zvonareva produced a stunning comeback to see off Petra Kvitova and reach the WTA Tokyo final where she will face Agnieszka Radwanska.
Zvonareva needed all of her mental fortitude to see off Kvitova in Friday's semi-finals, recovering from a 5-1 first set deficit to claw her way back before destroying the Wimbledon champion in the second to win 7-6(2), 6-0.
"I don't even remember being down 5-1 in the first set!" Zvonareva said. "I wasn't really thinking about it at all. I was just trying to find my rhythm - I couldn't find it in the beginning, and she was playing really well. But I slowly got into the match, making the shots I usually make. Then I was able to turn it around.
"I think I played very consistently in the second set and Petra started to make a few more mistakes. We had some tough games, but I was able to convert all my chances, and that's why the scoreline looked like that in the end."
Radwanska managed to outlast third seed Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. The Pole is always a dangerous contender in these WTA Premier events but like Azarenka she's never quite been able to achieve the same success in the majors.
