Spectacular Svitolina soars past Rus into Monterrey final

MONTERREY, Mexico - Top seed Elina Svitolina needed just over 50 minutes to book a place in her first final of the season at the Abierto GNP Seguros.

The World No.7 was dominant from start to finish in a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands in Saturday night's second semifinal to advance to her first final since the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen to end last season.

Rus and Svitolina were playing for the first time in nearly nine years, as a then-20-year-old Rus beat a then-16-year-old Svitolina at ITF level in Saint-Gaudens, France in three sets, but Saturday's second semifinal was dominated from start to finish by the Ukrainian.

Svitolina broke serve five times and dropped just nine points on her own serve to seal victory against the 29-year-old left-hander, who was contesting her first tour-level semifinal after six previous quarterfinal appearances dating back to 2008.

"It was an amazing match from me," Svitolina said in her on-court interview.

"I was very solid from the baseline and I was serving well, so hopefully I can keep it up for the final as well."

The World No.7 won the first seven games of the match before Rus got on the board - as the World No.76 saved break point in the lone game she won to ultimately save the double bagel - and lost just five points in the match's last five games. 

Svitolina served five aces in victory and never faced break point, as she won a staggering 63 percent of the points in Rus' service games as well. 

The Ukrainian No.1 will contest her 17th career WTA singles final against No.9 seed Marie Bouzkova on Sunday, as she bids for a 13th career title.

The two have played once before, in the second round of the Guangzhou International Women's Open last September, and that match was won by the Czech when Svitolina retired due with right knee pain while trailing, 6-4, 4-3.