WASHINGTON, United States, Aug 2, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Russian 16-year-old Kristina Liutova is into the final in her first WTA Tour-level event, booking a title shot in Memphis with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Elvina Kalieva on Saturday.

Liutova, ranked 229th in the world, will be the youngest player to contest a WTA final since American Coco Gauff in Austria in 2019.

The first player born in the 2010s to make a WTA final, she called her week in the 250-level event a "miracle journey" after her quarter-final win over sixth-seeded Caty McNally.

In her first WTA main draw match she advanced past top-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova, who retired with heat illness with Liutova leading 7-6 (7/2), 4-6, 5-4.

She beat Australian Maya Joint in the second round before knocking off McNally 6-3, 6-4.

In Sunday's final she will face either 114th-ranked Czech Darja Vidmanova or 83rd-ranked Renata Zarazua of Mexico.