Sorana Cirstea has booked a place in her first WTA Tour final since 2008 after edging Li Na in straight sets at the Rogers Cup in Toronto.
The Romanian made a strong start to the semi-final, wrapping up the first set in 22 minutes after claiming successive breaks of serve.
Li responded strongly in the second set, finding her range on the baseline to build a 5-3 lead.
Cristea dug deep and responded in kind with a series of aggressive shots, forcing a second-set tie-breaker in the process.
With the pressure on Li wilted in a tense tie-breaker, conceding a pair of unforced errors that handed Cristea a 6-1 7-6(5) success.
The 23-year-old now advances to face either Serena Williams or Agnieszka Radwanska in tomorrow's Rogers Cup final.
