Sakkari continues dream run to reach Silicon Valley final

Unseeded Maria Sakkari of Greece delivered a thrilling encore performance to her previous upset over Venus Williams to beat Danielle Collins and reach her first WTA final at the Silicon Valley Classic on Saturday.

Trailing by a set and facing a 4-1 deficit in the second set against Collins, Sakkari completed a shocking turnaround to beat the American 3-6 7-5 6-2 in the semi-final.

The 23-year-old will face Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu who reached the final by beating fourth seed Elise Mertens 4-6 6-3 6-1.

Sakkari persevered past Williams on Friday despite trailing in both sets, and she again displayed the knack for a comeback.

She won four straight games in the second set to put pressure on Collins, and ultimately evened the match with a forehand winner.

Collins, also looking to make her first WTA final, never recovered.

Meanwhile,...