Pera continues his momentum and will face Kontaveit in the final in Hamburg

HAMBURG — American Bernarda Pera will face tournament favorite Anett Kontaveit in the final at the Hamburg tournament after the pair won their semi-final in straight sets on Friday.

Pera, 27, earned her first career title on the WTA Tour in Budapest last week. She advanced to the championship game by beating seventh seed Maryna Zanevska 6-2, 6-4.

It was Pera’s 11th straight win, a streak that began in the qualifying table in Budapest, after she suffered five consecutive defeats.

Kontaveit defeated Russian-born player Anastasia Potapova 6-3, 7-5. She will participate in her 16th career final, and her first since losing to Poland’s Iga Swiatek in Doha in February.

Kontaveit, who is chasing a seventh career singles title, beat Pera in their previous duel. She beat the American 7-5, 6-1 in the first round of the Wimbledon tournament in June.

On the men’s side, favorite Carlos Alcaraz will face Russia’s Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals later today.