Elena Rybakina beat former champion Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon final on Thursday and put on clinical performance to reach her first Grand Slam showpiece.
Halep was caught in the crosshairs of an attacking Russian-born Kazakh who had beaten his Romanian rival with a flamboyant serve and a savage forehand.
Champion Halep in 2019 didn’t help his cause, with a string of double faults to give Rybakina a chance at crucial moments.
Nevertheless, the 17th seed needed a little help, as she became the first Kazakhstan player to reach a Grand Slam final, where she will take on Tunisian third seed Ons Jabur.