Romania’s Simona Halep moved within one win of a first Grand Slam title and the No 1 ranking with victory over second seed Karolina Pliskova at the French Open in Paris.
Third seed Halep won 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to set up a final against unseeded Jelena Ostapenko, who became the first Latvian to reach a Grand Slam final.
Czech second seed Pliskova would have become world No 1 next week, had she won the second semi-final.
Ostapenko celebrated her 20th birthday with a 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-3 win over Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky.
Mimi Jausovec was the last unseeded player to reach the French Open final in 1983, losing to Chris Evert.
Saturday’s final will see a new Grand Slam champion crowned, and a new name at the top of the rankings, should Halep win and overtake Angelique Kerber.
‘It is nice to be in the final again,’ said Halep, who lost to Maria Sharapova in the 2014 French Open final. ‘I hope I can play better and win it. I’m playing a young player – it is a big challenge.’
WATCH: Highlights of Simona Halep vs Karolina Pliskova
After recovering from a set and 5-1 down against Elina Svitolina in the quarter-final, Halep led from the front against Pliskova.
The 25-year-old broke serve in game three, as her speed and accuracy proved too much for the wayward Pliskova. The Czech made 24 errors in losing the first set, but finally edged ahead at 4-2 in the second.
Pliskova, 25, had said throughout the tournament that she was surprised at her progress on the clay, but for half an hour her powerful hitting held sway and there was little Halep could do.
WATCH: Highlights of Jelena Ostapenko vs Timea Bacsinszky
The Romanian was under pressure early in the decider, but finally chased down a forehand and fired a brilliant cross-court winner to grab a 3-1 lead.
Pliskova would cut the deficit to 4-3, only to blaze a forehand long, leaving Halep to serve out the match after two hours.
Ostapenko was well into uncharted territory, ranked 47th and having never been past the third round at a Grand Slam before, but she relished the big stage.
The former Wimbledon junior champion held her nerve to become the youngest woman in a Slam final since 19-year-old Caroline Wozniacki at the 2009 US Open.
‘I felt a little bit tight because it was a semi-final,’ she said. ‘But then I was just trying to be calm and just to try to play my game and just enjoy every moment.’
Photo: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
