Intro:

Tsvetana Pironkova reaches final of the Apia International with a 6-4, 6-3 win over second seed Petra Kvitova in Sydney, Australia on Thursday.

Script:

There was major upset at the Apia International on Thursday as Tsvetana Pironkova continued her stunning run at the tournament.

Pironkova, a qualifier ranked 108 in the World, ousted the Czech second seed Petra Kvitova 6-4 6-3 to become the first qualifier in the history of the tournament to reach the final.

The first four games went with serve but Pironkova lifted herself in the fifth game to break for the first time in the match.

It seemed the momentum had shifted when Kvitova broke back late in the first set to level the scores at 4-4 but, in the very next game, the Bulgarian broke to love, with Kvitova not Pironkova looking like the player who was in only her second career WTA semifinal.

What followed was much the same as Pironkova took the first set.

In the second, Pironkova strolled out to a 4-1 lead.

However, Kvitova did try to stage a comeback managing to break back and hold serve to get to 4-3. But Pironkova would not be denied, saving two break points in the next game to lead 5-3.

The match was over when Kvitova made an incorrect challenge mid-rally on match point giving Pironkova the win.

Next up for Pironkova is Angelique Kerber, who dispatched Madison Keys in straight sets in the second semifinal.

Kerber's consistency proved too much to handle for Keys, who was playing in her first WTA Premier-level semifinal.

The fifth-seeded Kerber beat the 18-year-old 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the final.