What a week Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia is having at the WTA Finals in Singapore.

The “pocket rocket”, who is taking part in her first WTA Finals tournament, managed to qualify after winning the Generali Ladies Linz tournament in Austria earlier this month.

She faced a tough three-set opening match against World No. 1, Angelique Kerber, which she lost. She then lost to Madison Keys in two sets. She was however, given a lifeline when told that she could still qualify if she beat Simona Halep in two sets, which she miraculously did.

Angelique Kerber’s straight set win over Madison Keys, saw Cibulkova advancing to the semi-finals and a clash against Svetlana Kuznetsova, the Russian player who only qualified on Saturday, after claiming the Kremlin Cup title in Russia.

Next to Cibulkova, Kuznetsova has had the toughest road to the semi-finals during this year’s tournament with each of her matches lasting three pulsating sets. She beat Agnieszka Radwanska and Karolina Pliskova in her first two matches, but looking fatigued, lost to Garbińe Muguruza in her last match.

Kuznetsova struck first today and despite some great shots by Cibulkova, raced to take the first set. Cibulkova changed her game plan in the second set and started mixing her blistering forehand with some drop shots. She matched Kuznetsova and was rewarded with a tie-break, which she won.

Enter the third set and Kuznetsova again took the lead, but whereas the Russian was visibly tired after her long week, Cibulkova, known for her boundless energy, was resilient and fought her way back with absolute tenacity. Kuznetsova gave her best until the very end, but when she hit the ball and it flicked the net tape and went sailing over the baseline, it was game, set and match for Cibulkova, 1-6 7-6(2) 6-4.

Cibulkova will now await the outcome of today’s other semi-final clash between Angelique Kerber and Agnieszka Radwanska to see who her opponent in the final will be.

Image courtesy of the WTA