MONTERREY, Mexico – Heather Watson grabbed her spot in the finals of the Abierto Monterrey Afirme after dispatching an ailing Caroline Garcia 6-1, 6-2.

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Watson came roaring out of the gates, finding her zone right away and quickly putting Garcia in a familiar bind. The Frenchwoman was down 4-1 in the first set just as she’d been in yesterday’s quarterfinal against Pauline Parmentier, but this time she wasn’t able to bounce back, her usually agile movements hampered by a lower back injury.

“I was very happy with how I played today but obviously Caroline was hurting today,” Watson said after their match. “I hope she gets better soon, hope it’s nothing too serious.”

After the Brit grabbed the first set in a dominant 27 minutes, Garcia took an emotional medical time out before starting the next set. Despite Garcia returning to the court with a bit more bounce in her step, Watson remained completely in control, coming up with an answer to every aspect of Garcia’s all-court game.

Awaiting Watson in the final is Kirsten Flipkens, a player she’s never won against in either of their previous two encounters.

“It won’t be easy,” Watson said of tomorrow’s match. “I’ve played Kirsten a few times and she’s very experienced. It definitely won’t be easy – I’ll have to bring my A-game tomorrow.”

Flipkens had to draw from every bit of her 13 years of experience to emerge victorious against Anett Kontaveit in their seesaw semifinal, 7-6(6), 6-4.

Kontaveit had her under pressure in the first set and Flipkens found herself having to dig out of a 3-5 hole to force a tiebreak.

“I think all week I was mentally very strong, but I think first set was a really tight one,” Flipkens said. “I came back very strong and the tiebreak was so close – it was like heads or tails.”

Flipkens looked to be totally in command in the second set, rushing ahead to a 5-1 lead as Kontaveit allowed the errors to pile up. But with her back against the wall, the young Estonian seemed to get her rhythm back and won three straight games to threaten a comeback. Flipkens stayed steady to reach her first final since 2013 ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

“It’s going to be a good match and I’m looking forward to it,” Flipkens said. “It’s been my first final in a long time in WTA so I’m gonna enjoy 100 percent.”