Ukrainian player Kostyuk defeated Danielle Collins in straight sets 6-4 6-3. The 20-year-old will be going into the first finals match of her career and it will be against Gracheva who beat Katie Volynets 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
“Obviously, a special moment, very emotional,” Kostyuk said after her semifinals win.
“I lost four semifinals prior to this match today, and I didn’t know what to expect. Danielle is a great player, a great champion. Very happy that the match turned out this way today.”
She has now improved her win-loss record to 14-6. Earlier in the year, she had also made it to the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International 1 and the third round of the Australian Open.
She will next go up against Gracheva who defeated first-time semifinalist Volynets.
“Honestly, [the key was] being more positive with myself, because I went a lot into the emotions,” Gracheva said in her on-court interview.
“Katie, she has a great game, she just doesn’t miss, and to work out the points when you’re a little bit down mentally, it’s just impossible.”
The finals will be held on Sunday. The two have a 3-2 head-to-head record in Kostyuk’s favor. Their most recent match was in the quarterfinals in 2021 in Chicago, Gracheva won that.