Ottawa's Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia's Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe's quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn't handle Routliffe's shot. Dabrowski and Routliffe wrapped up the match in one hour 32 minutes.
"I had a little bit of a slow start and Erin started really well," Dabrowski said. "But she stood by me, and that enabled me to still have the freedom as the match went on to go for my shots and my serves and my plays. That helped me stay very present.
"Some of it is confidence, some of it is communication, but overall just a strong partnership was the key."
The showdown was a rematch of last year's semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won 6-1, 6-7 (1), 10-6.
"We always try to bring the best out of each other," said Routliffe, a dual citizen who was born in New Zealand and grew up in Caledon, Ont. "We always try to smile and have fun, even when it's not going our way. It's so important in doubles. If anyone's playing doubles, make sure you support your partners."
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend in the final on Saturday. It's a rematch of this year's Wimbledon final, which the Czech and American team won 7-6 (5), 7-6 (1).
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
"(I've) been in the WTA Finals a bunch of times, but semifinals was my best result with Erin last year in Cancun," said the 32-year-old Dabrowski, who is competing in the end-of-year doubles tournament for the sixth time. "So to go one round further is super exciting. In the later part of my career as well, it's really special. To do it together, with the vibe we've got, is really amazing."
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