Aryna Sabalenka rallied from a set and 4-2 down as she pounced on Coco Gauff's numerous double faults to reach the Wuhan Open final and extend her winning streak at the tournament to 16 matches.
World No 2 and recent US Open champion Sabalenka triumphed in Wuhan in 2018 and 2019 before the event was cancelled for the next four years due to the Covid pandemic.
The Belarusian's hopes of a third straight title looked all but over as a ruthless Gauff sped through the first set 6-1 - she was 5-0 up in 19 minutes - and then moved two games from victory after a hold of serve ended five consecutive breaks at the start of the second set.
But Gauff was broken twice from 4-2 up as her serve continued to disintegrate - the American sending down nine double faults in total in the second set, including three in a game on two occasions.
Sabalenka took the second set 6-4 and the decider - in which Gauff also registered nine double faults to take her match tally to 21 - by the same score to level her career head-to-head with her opponent at 4-4 and set up a Sunday final against Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, who beat fellow Chinese Wang Xinyu 6-3 6-4.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka was completely dominated in the first set and looked to the skies in relief when she won the sixth game to avoid being bageled.
The second set was a strange affair with breaks galore before Gauff edged two games ahead to seemingly close in on the final, only for her serving troubles to let Sabalenka back in.
Sabalenka won seven games in row, wrapping up the second set and moving a break ahead in the third, and although Gauff subsequently battled back to 4-4, she was broken again in the 10th game as Sabalenka converted her second match point - thanks to a final Gauff double fault.
Sabalenka had beaten Gauff in the pair's previous meeting, in the semi-finals of the Australian Open back in January as she went on to win that tournament for the second year in a row.
What's coming up on Sky Sports Tennis in October?
- Shanghai Masters - ATP 1000 (until October 13)
- Wuhan Open - WTA 1000 (until October 13)
- Almaty Open, Kazakhstan - ATP 250 (October 14-20)
- Stockholm Open, Sweden - ATP 250 (October 14-20)
- European Open, Antwerp - ATP 250 (October 14-20)
- Japan Open, Osaka - WTA 250 (October 14-20)
- Ningbo Open, China - WTA 500 (October 14-20)
- Erste Bank Open, Vienna - ATP 500 (October 21-27)
- Swiss Indoors, Basel - ATP 500 (October 21-27)
- Guangzhou Open, China - WTA 250 (October 21-27)
- Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis, Tokyo - WTA 500 (October 21-27)
Fabio Wardley's huge rematch with British heavyweight rival Frazer Clarke is on the epic Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol bill on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book now!
