Kate Fahey kicked off Semifinal Saturday at Cary Tennis Park with an 11-9, 11-4 victory over No. 8 seed Salome Devidze.

The No. 2 seed got off to a hot start and jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the opening game, but Devidze fought back to eventually earn a 9-8 advantage.

After a timeout, however, Fahey went on to score three in a row to come away with Game 1.

She didn’t slow down from there, expertly changing direction in crosscourt rallies to make her way up to the kitchen line.

That helped her gain a 6-1 advantage in the second game.

Devidze did go on a run of her own to get to 4-6, but an incredible running forehand winner from Fahey helped her get the momentum back on her side and stop the comeback attempt.

Fahey spoke about the role that point played in giving her the momentum to close out the match.

“Salome is a really tough opponent. She hits some incredible shots, and even when you’re winning by a lot, she can always come back,” she noted. “That shot really gave me the confidence to keep going for my shots, and I think I finished that match really strong.”

The new Charlotte, NC resident will face Parris Todd in Sunday’s final.

In the second semifinal, Parris Todd overcame a slow start to defeat No. 5 seed Lea Jansen by a 4-11, 11-1, 11-7 score line.

After players split the opening two games with dominant wins, Jansen jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the decider.

The action was far from over at that point, however.

Todd, benefitting from ending the contest on the ‘good’ side, went on to score the final ten points of the match and eventually closed out the encounter after just over an hour on court.

The No. 6 seed sloke about the importance of sides in the match.

“I felt like sides were playing a big role in this match, and I’m glad that I was able to choose the correct side,” she said. “I felt like I started on the bad side, so I knew that if I just weathered the storm that I’d be able to come back and that I would end the third game on the good side.”

That’s exactly what happened for Todd, as she advanced to her second straight women’s singles final on the PPA Tour.

Todd will be back in action later on Semifinal Saturday when she and Lacy Schneemann take on Anna Leigh Waters/Catherine Parenteau for a spot in the women’s doubles final.