Kenin escapes third three-set thriller in Lyon to reach final round

Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin withstood a strong challenge from Alison van Uytvanck to win 7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 7-6 (2) and reach the Lyon Open final on Saturday.

The top-seeded American, who trailed 2-0 in the deciding tiebreaker, faces unseeded Anna-Lena Friedsam in Sunday's final. The German player upset seventh-seeded Russian Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

The 21-year-old Kenin, who is ranked fifth and who won her first major earlier this year, goes for her fifth career title. Friedsam has never won a singles title, and has won one in doubles.

Kenin was broken when serving for the first set by the big-serving Belgian, seeded fifth, who had 22 aces in a tight match where each player dropped their serve three times.

Van Uytvanck broke Kenin again for a 3-1 lead in the second set and then dominated the tiebreaker.

The 26-year-old Friedsam, ranked 136th, had the only ace in a topsy-turvy encounter featuring eight breaks of serve.

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