Canadian teen Bianca Andreescu continued her fairy-tale run through the WTA Classic Saturday, stunning third seed Hsieh Su-Wei to set up a final against defending champion Julia Gorges.
The 18-year-old qualifier's 6-3, 6-3 semi-final triumph followed victories over two former world number ones, the now number three Caroline Wozniacki and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams.
In contrast, second-seed Goerges who beat Slovakian Viktoria Kuzmova 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) in her semi-final has not faced one seeded player all week.
For the unflappable Andreescu, ranked 152nd in the world, it is the first final of her fledgling career after arriving in Auckland with the simple aim of getting through the qualifying tournament.
She has surprised even herself with the way her baseline power, drop shot finesse and all round athleticism have come together.
"I guess Auckland brings out the best in me. I don't know what's going on really," she said after defeating Hsieh.
"What's really important for me is to stay in the present moment and I've been doing that all week and I'm beyond grateful right now."
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content