Dominika Cibulkova stormed to the final of the Aegon International in Eastbourne by producing a superb comeback to beat Agnieszka Radwanska 4-6 7-6 6-3 in the quarterfinals and then destroying Monica Puig 6-2 6-1 in the semifinals two hours later. She began Friday 4-6 2-3 down to Radwanska after heavy rain cut play short on Thursday, but she drew on all her fighting qualities to turn that match around.

Cibulkova immediately restored parity by breaking Radwanska’s serve in the first game of the day to make it 3-3, and from then on the second set became a battle of attrition as they played out a seemingly endless succession of long rallies. After six grueling games, it was left to a tiebreak to settle the second set. This was Cibulkova’s cue to raise her aggression levels and really force Radwanska deep behind the baseline. And her tactics worked superbly as she won the tiebreak 7-2 and leveled the match.

In the fourth game of the final set, Cibulkova saved two break points, and from then on she never looked back as she won four of the next five games to take it 6-3. Afterwards, she said, ‘It was not easy emotionally, but I am really happy I beat her on grass. This is the third really close match I’ve played against Radwanska this year on three different surfaces. It was toughest on grass because I try to take advantage of her weak second serve, and it’s a bit harder to go for it on grass because (the ball bounces) really low. But in the rallies I felt really good. I was going for my forehand, and I was really strong on my backhand.’

After the match, Radwanska seemed frustrated that she was unable to reproduce the level of tennis she demonstrated on Thursday. She said, ‘I was serving much better yesterday, and I think I was playing a bit better. Today, I was too defensive and didn't really find my rhythm. I don't think I was playing well enough today. She was playing really aggressive, good tennis. I think I stepped backwards a little bit too much. That wasn't helping.’

After battling through against Radwanska, Cibulkova had a much easier time against Puig. The Puerto Rican No. 1 traded blows well with her early in the match, and the opening five games of the match took over 20 minutes to complete. However, Cibulkova seemed to have worked out Puig’s tactics by this point. She started to get more and more balls back and watched the errors pile up for her opponent. This vital shift in momentum enabled Cibulkova to win 10 of the last 11 games and take the match 6-2 6-1 after they split the first four games. She also achieved four breaks of serve.

Cibulkova said, ‘I came back (two hours after beating Radwanska) against a completely different player, an aggressive player, and I knew she didn't want to play long rallies with me. She was really going after my serve and everything. So I had to change my tactics a little bit. And I was able to do it, which was great.’

The Slovakian will play Karolina Pliskova for the title tomorrow, after the big-serving Czech ended British hopes of having a first woman in the Eastbourne final in 40 years by defeating Johanna Konta 6-7 6-3 6-3. It was a brilliant performance from Pliskova, who hit 52 winners and only made 21 unforced errors during the match. After the match, she said, ‘The first set was very close. She was more aggressive at the end of the first set, so she deserved to win it. We still hadn’t broken each other’s serve. I believed I could break her once in the match, and it came in the second set. It was my first match on Centre Court, and it was very windy. It was tough, but I was happy with the performance.’

Pliskova also had to play twice on Friday, and she started this morning 4-0 up on Elena Vesnina. It only took her about 50 minutes to finish that match 6-1 6-3, and she never gave the Russian a chance. The final with Cibulkova is likely to be another close encounter, particularly if it’s anything like their only previous encounter in Kuala Lumpur in 2014. The Slovakian won that match 6-7 6-3 6-3, and exploiting Pliskova’s relative lack of movement will be vital if she is to beat her again. As Pliskova said, ‘I think she's playing fast and aggressive game from the baseline, and of course she's just going to make me move. That's what all the girls have to do. But I will be ready for it. I think my movement is improving slowly.’ We may find out exactly how much improvement she’s made tomorrow.