Elina Svitolina needed about an hour in Kuala Lumpur to be the first to stride into the final, beating her Chinese opponent Lin Zhu in the semifinals. Eugenie Bouchard followed suit with a clinical display of tennis against Brit Naomi Broady.
Svitolina Breezes Past Zhu
Svitolina went up against the 190th ranked Zhu looking to get to her first final of the year. The Ukrainian was rarely troubled in the first set, as she broke her opponent twice in taking the first set 6-3. The second set was a lot tighter as the Chinese improved her service level. She got off to just the start she wanted, as she created three break opportunities. Zhu needed just the one as she broke the Ukrainian's serve. Zhu was up 2-1, but the second seed came firing back with some aggressive play. Svitolina got the break back to level the set 2-2. Zhu was troubled once again in the sixth game, allowing Svitolina to capitalize to lead 4-2. The Chinese was unable to make any more headway, as Svitolina progressed to the final with a convincing 6-3, 6-3 win.
Bouchard Cruises Past Broady
Bouchard got off to a bright start, breaking in the first game after a shaky start from Broady. The Brit was having a hard time during her own service games as Bouchard continued with the pressure. Every time it was needed though, the big serve of the Brit came to her rescue. The Canadian on the other hand was holding her serves with relative ease. She closed out the first set 6-4 as Broady failed to come back from the early break.
The second set started the same way as the first, as Broady's serve was under pressure again. The Brit once again summoned up some huge serves to serve her way out of trouble this time. At 1-1, Broady had her best service game, getting a love hold for the first time to go up 2-1. That did not last long as a double fault in the fifth game handed the first break of the second set to the Canadian. Bouchard consolidated the break for a 4-2 lead. The Canadian had another look to get a double break, but Broady once again clawed her way out. The Brit then came to life as she cranked up her aggressiveness and was rewarded with break points immediately. Bouchard remained calm despite the pressure to go 5-3 ahead. As the chances went begging, Bouchard wrapped up the victory 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 15 minutes.
The final of the BMW Malaysian Open sees a clash between Svitolina and Bouchard for the championship.