New Zealand has a woman in a final at the ASB Classic tennis tournament for the first time in seven years.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Whanganui's Paige Hourigan and American partner Taylor Townsend have advanced to this year's doubles title decider with a straight sets victory in their semifinal on Saturday.
In hot conditions on centre court, the home crowd got what they wanted as Hourigan and Townsend overcame Johanna Larsson of Sweden and Belgian player Kirsten Flipkens 6-3 7-5.
The pair will face Canadian star Eugenie Bouchard and Sofia Kenin of the USA in the final.
The last New Zealand woman's player to feature in a final at the ASB Classic is the recently retired Marina Erakovic, who came up one short of the doubles trophy in 2011 alongside Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson.
Michael Venus was the last Kiwi to appear in a final in Auckland, the 2017 French Open doubles champion teaming up with Croatian Mate Pavic to win the crown earlier that same year.
Still just 21, Hourigan met Townsend in the US, where the New Zealander has spent the past four year at Georgia Tech University.
