A tearful Harriet Dart said it “means the world” to qualify for her maiden WTA Tour singles final after battling past Chinese wildcard Sun Xinran in three sets at the Guangzhou Open.
The 30-year-old qualifier recovered from failing to serve out the first set to save multiple match points in the second before closing out a 5-7 7-6 (6-1) 6-0 victory in a little under two and a half hours.
Dart, who made her WTA Tour debut in Eastbourne in 2015, was playing in just her second tour-level singles semi-final, having previously reached the last four at the 2024 Transylvania Open.
The British number five will face fourth seed Lilli Tagger or Kaitlin Quevedo in Sunday’s final, knowing victory will secure her return to the top 100 in the WTA rankings. She has already climbed 14 places to 101st in the live standings.
“It’s been a really long journey. I’ve wanted it so much, so badly – sometimes too much. To finally be here means the world,” said Dart.
“I found it tough out there. It was a rollercoaster. Playing in this part of the competition, more nerves and more feelings come out. I was really battling with myself.
“I’m proud of the second set and was able to turn it quickly.”
Trailing 3-0 in the first set after hitting a double fault on break point in her opening service game, Dart fought back to lead 5-4, dictating points from the baseline during a run of four consecutive service games.
She was visibly frustrated after hitting another two double faults as she served for the set.
Reigning US Open junior champion Sun, 16, made no such mistake, holding to 15 before breaking Dart for a third time to clinch the opener.
Dart twice had her nose in front in the second set, breaking Xinran in the first and fifth games, but was immediately broken back on both occasions.
However, she held her nerve as she was twice required to serve to stay in the match before storming through the tie-break 7-1, silencing the crowd she had repeatedly complained to the chair umpire about in the process.
With her opponent struggling emotionally and physically, including receiving a medical timeout for treatment on her left leg, Dart cruised through the decider without dropping a game, winning 28 of the 41 points.