Linda Noskova, who had already beaten Daria Kasatkina, defeated Ons Jabeur 6-3 1-6 6-3 to reach the final, where she will play second seed Aryna Sabalenka; Noskova, 18, will have to play Australian Open qualifying next week; Novak Djokovic reaches men's final
Saturday 7 January 2023 14:27, UK
Czech teenager Linda Noskova continued her brilliant run at the Adelaide International by shocking world No 2 Ons Jabeur to reach the final.
Noskova, 18, had to come through qualifying and has put together a stunning series of results, beating Daria Kasatkina, Victoria Azarenka and now top seed Jabeur to reach her first WTA Tour final.
The teenager, who will have to play in Australian Open qualifying next week, will see her ranking soar from 102 to around 56, and she will break the top 50 for the first time if she can lift the title.
Jabeur needed treatment for a back problem, which will be a concern so close to the season's first Grand Slam event, and could find no answer to Noskova, who closed out a 6-3 1-6 6-3 victory.
In the final, the young Czech will try to take out another of the world's best players in second seed Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Irina-Camelia Begu 6-3 6-2.
Sabalenka had five double-faults but finished the match with her sixth ace. She won more than 80 per cent of her points on her first serve and controlled the match from the baseline. She has not dropped a set this tournament.
In the men's draw, Novak Djokovic beat Daniil Medvedev 6-3 6-4 to advance to the final despite sustaining a leg injury during the match.
In the seventh game of the first set, Djokovic caught his left foot when sliding for a ball and immediately began stretching out his hamstring. He took a medical timeout.
"Thankfully, it was nothing too serious," Djokovic said later, adding he went off court to take some anti-inflammatories. "Hopefully, tomorrow it will be all fine."
Djokovic will play Sebastian Korda in Sunday's final.
At the ASB Classic in Auckland, Coco Gauff thumped Danka Kovinic 6-0 6-2 to set up a final showdown against Spaniard Rebeka Masarova.
