Petra Kvitova powered into the final of the Miami Open on Friday with a straight sets victory over Romania's Sorana Cirstea.
Czech veteran Kvitova advanced to a Saturday showdown against Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina with a 7-5, 6-4 win in 1hr 41min.
In a battle of two of the WTA's more experienced players, Cirstea, playing in her first WTA semi-final in a decade, was fastest out of the blocks, taking a 5-2 lead in the first set.
But the Romanian, who is enjoying a revival in form having also reached the last eight at Indian Wells, failed to convert either of the two set points she had on serve at 5-4, with Kvitova breaking twice to take the set.
The Czech's momentum carried over into the second set where she broke Cirstea in the opening game, her third straight break, and from then it was smooth sailing for the 33-year-old.
The two-time Wimbledon winner lost just seven points in five service games in the second set as she advanced to the Miami final for the first time.
It was a disappointing end for the 32-year-old Cirstea, whose performances have been transformed since she began working with Swedish coach Thomas Johansson in the off-season.
Kvitova's victory gives her the chance of a ninth career WTA 1000 title in what will be her 13th final.
The Czech hasn't won a WTA 1000 since triumphing in Madrid for a third time in 2018.
Rybakina beat American Jessica Pegula in straight sets in the other semi, played on Thursday, and is looking to complete the 'sunshine double' having won at Indian Wells earlier this month.
Kvitova and Rybakina have met twice previously with the Kazakh winning in Ostrava but the Czech enjoying revenge in Adelaide in January.
"It's 1-1 so we will see tomorrow who is going to take it. She's playing very good, winning Indian Wells, returning here in the final. For sure it's a great achievement," said Kvitova.
"She's a big hitter, big server as well. I'm the same. It depends really how we are going to handle the pressure from the opponent," she added.
Cirstea tempered her disappointment at her exit with a reflection on a 'sunshine swing' which saw her exceed most expectations.
"I worked very hard to be here and of course it's nice to back up all this work with the results and definitely a quarter and a semi were great," she said.
"Of course I'm a bit sad about today because I felt I had my chances but again I'm leaving the US with a smile on my face and with a lot of things to improve as well."
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
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if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
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