Third-seed Tatiana Golovin of France overpowered India's Sania Mirza on Saturday to set up a meeting with Czech Nicole Vaidisova in the final of the AIG Japan Open women's singles.
Golovin, a 25th-ranked player who defeated local star Ai Sugiyama in the quarterfinals, breezed through the first set before her eighth-seed opponent staged a brave comeback, only to fall 6-2, 6-4 at Ariake Tennis Forest Park.
The rising Indian star struggled against the blustery conditions on center court but reeled off a series of strong winners to rally from a 5-0 deficit in the second set.