Fifth seed Angelique Kerber will carry a 2-0 win record over American challenger Madison Keys into their final at the Eastbourne International on Saturday after defeating Caroline Wozniacki 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.
Germany’s Kerber needed two-and-three-quarter hours while teenager Keys saw off Briton Heather Watson in just 61 minutes to move into the first final of her career.
Kerber beat the 19-year-old at the 2013 Australian Open and in a Sydney semi-final last January.
The German, a 2012 Wimbledon semi-finalist who played the title match here two years ago, beat 2009 champion Wozniacki on a fifth match point in a see-saw battle on the lawns of Devonshire Park.
“It was a very tough match against Caroline, I’m really happy about the way I played,” said Kerber “Madison is a dangerous opponent, for sure. She’s played some very tough and good matches.”
Kerber will improve her WTA ranking to seventh after reaching her third final of 2014, finishing runner-up in Sydney and Doha in the first two months of the year.
Wozniacki heads into Wimbledon starting on Monday with confidence after a productive week: “I probably should have closed it in two sets, being up a break and then being up (2-0) in the tiebreaker. But, it happens. In general, I’m very pleased about the way my game is at the moment. I’m looking forward to Wimbledon now.”
Keys was dominant throughout against Watson, the first local to get this far at Eastbourne in more than three decades, winning 6-3 6-1.
Watson had been hoping to become the first British woman to play the final in 38 years, after Virginia Wade last did it in 1976.
Keys made sure she spoiled that scenario, saving all six break points she faced while breaking her opponent’s serve four times.
“I’m really excited to be playing my first final,” said the teenager. “I like grass a lot, I played really well and returned strong.
In the men’s event, French top seed Richard Gasquet moved to within one win of a hat-trick of grasscourt titles as he defeated Denis Istomin 6-4 6-2 to reach his third career final at the tournament.
The world number 14, who missed almost all of the claycourt season with a back injury, is back on form as he prepares for Wimbledon with his second title match of the season.
He has a Saturday final with title holder Feliciano Lopez, who beat American Sam Querry 6-4 7-6 (7-4) with a dozen aces and one break of serve in 77 minutes.
Gasquet leads his head-to-head series with Lopez 5-0 as the pair meet on grass for the first time. Lopez reached the grasscourt final last weekend at Queen’s Club.
Gasquet lifted back-to-back trophies in 2005 and 2006 when the event was held in Nottingham.
The Frenchman has won 10 titles in his career and his 22nd career final is his fourth on grass.
“The key on grass is to serve and return well, I managed to do it. I’m very happy with the way I played, because it’s always difficult to play on grass,” he said.
The men’s semi-final line-up was completed a day late after Lopez beat France’s Jeremy Chardy 6-3 6-4 in a quarter-final which was unable to start on Thursday evening due to rain.
