BRISTOL, TN - Sixth-seeded Kaitlyn Christian advanced to the women’s singles final at the IHG Hotels & Resorts Bristol Open presented by Deep Eddy Vodka on Thursday.

The former USC tennis standout defeated No. 14 seed Chao Yi Wang 11-4, 13-11 in the semis to secure a matchup against No. 5 seed Brooke Buckner on Championship Sunday.

After a relatively easy triumph over Wang in the first game, Christian needed five match points in the second stanza to seal the deal and earn another shot at a gold medal.

“That was a tough one at the end. Zoey really stepped up her game there,” said Christian. “I got stuck at the baseline a little bit. She was bullying me from back there, so I just told myself that I had to get in and take my chances, and it worked in the end. It was well-fought by her, though, and she’s playing very well.”

Christian has already collected some singles hardware this season with a silver medal at the Veolia Austin Open powered by Invited in March and three bronze medals, but she’s setting her sights on finally reaching the top of the podium.

Only Buckner stands in her way.

“Brooke is playing really well right now. I played her last week and she wiped me off the court,” mentioned Christian, referencing an 11-3, 11-6 loss in the semi-finals at the Selkirk Kansas City Open presented by Stratusphere Gin. “It’s just another opportunity to compete on Sunday against her and take my chances. We’ll see what happens.”

Even though Buckner is riding high after winning her second singles crown of the year in KC, Christian should be feeling confident after besting the likes of Madalina Grigoriu, Anna Bright and Nicole Eugenio on Thursday as well.