Tomljanovic beats Potapova to reach first WTA final in five years
Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic (31) reached her first WTA final in five years on Saturday with a straight-sets win over Russia's Anastasia Potapova (23) at the Birmingham grass-court tournament.
The former world number 32, now ranked 190, came through against the seventh seed 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
In Sunday's final, Tomljanovic will face fellow unseeded player Yulia Putintseva after the Kazakh eased to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
"I just tried to keep a cool head. I felt like I was a bit too into it at the beginning, and I felt like I was losing a lot of energy just caring about every single point," Tomljanovic said.
"I just tried to let go whatever happened, and focus on what I can control."
Tomljanovic last reached a WTA final in 2019 on hard courts in Hua Hin, Thailand.
The 31-year-old missed much of the 2023 season due to knee surgery and is bidding for her first title in her 180th WTA main draw.