The two Lakshya-supported tennis players were facing each other at the last-four stage for the second consecutive time and it looked like the result could be reversed this time when Rutuja ran through the first set.
However, Ankita had different plans as she kept her cool and went on to win the next two sets and set up a final date with Japanese third seed Miyabi Inoue, who got the better of second seed Zhaoxuan Yang of China 6-3 7-6 (7-1) in the other semifinal.
While Ankita had a fruitful outing, it was a day of heartbreak for another Lakshya-Bharat Forge supported player Prarthana Thombare.
Prarthana and compatriot Shweta Rana looked set for their maiden double title when they claimed the first set against the third seeded Japanese combination of Risa Hasegawa and Inoue but could not maintain the momentum and lost the final 1-6 7-1 (10-1) in super tie-break.
