Kraus topples seed No. 5 Bassols Ribera to reach second WTA 125 final of her career
Sinja Kraus battled past Marina Bassols Ribera in Kitzbühel to reach a second WTA 125 final, with a possible all-Austrian showdown against Julia Grabher looming on Sunday.
Tennis clay court
Austrian Sinja Kraus, the seed No. 2, defeated Spaniard Marina Bassols Ribera, the seed No. 5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the semi-finals in Kitzbühel on Saturday to reach the second WTA 125 final of her career.
The world No. 94 dropped the opening set before finding her range to close out the Generali Open Ladies Kitzbühel semi-final. Kraus had cruised through the earlier rounds without dropping a set, beating Russian Erika Andreeva 6-4, 6-1, German Eva Bennemann 6-1, 6-1 and Swede Caijsa Hennemann 7-6(3), 6-3.
Bassols Ribera, ranked No. 144, needed a deciding set only once on her own run, recovering from a 0-6 opening set against Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus to win 0-6, 6-1, 6-1, having also beaten Argentine Maria Lourdes Carle 6-2, 6-1 and German Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-2, 6-1.
Kraus, 24 and a career-high No. 92, is chasing a second WTA 125 title after winning her maiden one at Cali last year, still the biggest title of her career. Bassols Ribera, 26 and a career-high No. 105 in February 2024, arrived in Kitzbühel a two-time WTA 125 champion from 2023, in Ljubljana and Andorra, and was contesting her fourth final at the level after finishing runner-up in Madrid earlier this season.
Kraus will play the winner of the other semi-final between Slovenian top seed Veronika Erjavec and compatriot Julia Grabher, the No. 4 seed, for the title on Sunday. Should Grabher get through, it would set up a repeat of the first all-Austrian WTA main-draw match since 2014, which Kraus won in Auckland in January.
