Elena Dementieva outlasted Jennifer Capriati 6-0, 2-6, 7-6 (5) on Friday and set up an all-Russian women's final at the US Open.
In Saturday's championship match, Dementieva will meet Svetlana Kuznetsova, who became the first Russian woman to reach the final when she beat a limping Lindsay Davenport 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 and ruined the American's chance of regaining the Open title and world No. 1 ranking.
"Russians are here," Kuznetsova said.
It will be the second all-Russian final at a major this year. Dementieva lost to Anastasia Myskina at the French Open, then Russian Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon.
The men's semis also will be Saturday, with No. 28 Joachim Johansson of Sweden against 2001 champion Lleyton Hewitt, and top-seeded Roger Federer taking on Tim Henman.
This marks the first time since 1988 that no Americans will be in the finals at this tournament.
After Davenport's demise on a strained hip, fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium clearly cheered for the New York-born Capriati to make the final for the first time.
"It's not easy to play Jennifer in New York," Dementieva said.
Dementieva hung on with 93kph serves and will get a chance to win her first major title. Capriati, winner of three Grand Slam events, fell to 0-4 in semifinals at the Open and sobbed in the locker room, comforted by her mother.
After the match, it was announced Dementieva pulled out of her doubles semifinal on Friday because of exhaustion. She played with her aching left thigh taped, and needed IV fluids after her three-set, tiebreaker victory over Amelie Mauresmo on Tuesday.
Both players did their best to psyche themselves up.
The sixth-seeded Dementieva shouted "Nyet!" after netting one of her shots, and later glared with ice-blue eyes at the chair umpire after a close -- but accurate -- call went against her.
Unlike in the quarters against Serena Williams, the eighth-seeded Capriati did not get the benefit of any blown calls. Still, she had sharp words for chair umpire Leanne White.
Early in the third set, White mistakenly announced the score at 30-all. When she corrected herself to say Dementieva led 40-15, Capriati approached and shouted, "You can't change it now!"
Assured by White that she could fix it, Capriati fired off a comeback that she punctuated with an expletive.
Wiped out in only 17 minutes in the opening set, Capriati fought back in the second set. She was still down 2-1 and seated during a changeover when a fan began shouting at her, perhaps offering advice.
"Shut up, I know what to do!" Capriati snapped back.
While Capriati walked off after her defeat, Davenport hobbled her way out of the Open, losing a big lead and able to do little but watch Kuznetsova win.
Davenport needed time before the last set to get treatment for a strained left hip, which she hurt during warmups about three hours before this semifinal.
"I was pretty bummed," she said. "I felt like I was playing from a disadvantage."
She came back on the court with tape high on her thigh, yet wore down after taking a 3-0 lead. Wincing and grimacing, she barely moved as the No. 9 Kuznetsova hit shots past her. The final point was an ace, and Davenport was caught standing still.
The loss snapped her 22-match winning streak and prevented her from rising to No. 1 in the WTA Tour rankings. Instead, Mauresmo will move up, just the second woman to reach the top without having won a Grand Slam title.
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