No. 2 seed Elina Svitolina and No.5 seed Elena Rybakina have progressed to the final of the Internationaux de Strasbourg after beating Aryna Sabalenka and Nao Hibino respectively on the penultimate day of the tournament.
Svitolina beat Sabalenka 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 while Rybakina had an easier 6-3, 6-4 victory over the unseeded Hibino.
"Winning titles is something that you always want to do when you enter the tournament," Svitolina told the press, after her win. "Every final is special, and you try to give everything that you have to have that trophy."
Svitolina converted six of her 10 break points, making 73 per cent of her first deliveries to win in 1 hour, 54 minutes. The Ukrainian will play for her second title of the year after she triumphed in Monterrey last March.
"Each match, I'm playing better and better," said Svitolina. "I played some good matches against top players, in Rome as well. I have the final tomorrow, so it's important for me to take every match and move forward from there."
In the other match, Rybakina was able to push back Hibino when the latter got the chance for a break-point in the eight game.
The No. 5 seed fired an unreturnable serve and a brace of searing winners to move up 5-3, eventually ending the dispute two games later.
Rybakina and Svitolina will be facing off for the first time in Saturday's final.