Naomi Osaka was in upbeat mood after beating Alycia Parks 6-4, 6-2 to reach the final of the ASB Classic in Auckland. (More Sports News)
The former World No.1 completed victory in little over an hour to seal her progress into a first final since 2022.
Osaka will take on Clara Tauson in Sunday's showdown and is pleased with her progress as she tunes up for the Australian Open, which starts on Sunday 12 January.
She said: "I바카라™ve actually never gotten to the final of the tournament the week before Melbourne, so this is a career first for me.
"I'm really happy. There are constantly things to improve or to get better, no matter how old you are.
"I was just trying to survive. She [Parks] was hitting such amazing shots, and I just kept thinking to myself, 바카라˜Give her one more ball to play, try to get lucky.바카라™
"There was one net cord ball that I really needed."
In the other semi-final, Tauson set up a first career meeting with Osaka by beating Robin Montgomery 6-4, 6-3.
The Dane won two matches on Saturday after her quarter-final clash with Madison Keys was postponed due to rain on Friday and was delighted her fitness levels stood up to the task.
She said: "I really worked hard to get to this level again after many injuries, so I바카라™m super happy with this result.
"Robin is a great player and we had a great match today. I바카라™m just happy that I kept my cool and won it.
"It바카라™s been some years since I바카라™ve been in a final like this. I바카라™m just going to try to enjoy it as much as I can."
