Kvitova powers past Halep, maintains late WTA Finals charge

Petra Kvitova produced a ruthless performance to power past No. 4 seed Simona Halep of Romania and into a second Wuhan Open final on Friday.

In stark contrast to Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova, the winner of Friday's first semifinal, Kvitova kept her time on court to a minimum, requiring only 66 minutes to wrap up a 6-1, 6-2 victory and move within touching distance of reclaiming the title she won in 2014.

"It's amazing. I came to this tournament and really didn't expect this kind of performance," the Czech said. "Physically I'm still so-so. I'm really happy that I'm not falling apart. But I played a really great match today in spite of everything, which really put the pressure on her."

Remarkably given her form, the win takes Kvitova through to her first final of 2016. And another against Cibulkova will continue the Czech's improbably late push for a spot at the WTA Finals Singapore.

"I never have any expectations. I really love to play these big matches, in front of the crowd. Of course I will do my best tomorrow. I think she's improved a lot, so it will be a difficult match and I will fight again."

In the other semifinal, Cibulkova completed a thrilling victory over former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a match lasting over two and half hours. Endit