WTA Finals: Dominika Cibulkova beats Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach final on debut
Debutante Dominika Cibulkova beat Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 1-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 to reach the final at the WTA Finals in Singapore.
The Slovak will face world number one Angelique Kerber or defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska on Sunday.
The Russian controlled the opening set but Cibulkova, 27, stepped it up in the second to level the match.
Cibulkova won the opening two games of the third and held off a Kuznetsova fightback to claim victory.
After a disappointing first set, where she trailed 4-1 after being broken twice in her first three service games, world number eight Cibulkova showed far more intensity in the second set.
She improved her serve percentage dramatically from 42% to 79% with Kuznetsova, who was in superb form in the opening set, happy to sit back and wait for any opportunities.
Cibulkova, making her first appearance at the elite eight-player event, squandered chances to secure the second set while serving at 5-4 and 6-5 but in the tie-break she recovered to quickly set up four set points and level the match.
The 31-year-old Russian took a 10-minute break at the end of the second set to change her kit but while it initially did not appear to unsettle Cibulkova, who broke to go 2-0 up, she again was unable to take advantage of the break.
Two-time Grand Slam tournament winner Kuznetsova won the next three games and led 4-2 only for a gutsy Cibulkova to roar back into contention and her determination helped see her through.