March 13 (Reuters) - World number one Aryna Sabalenka kept her quest for a maiden Indian Wells title alive on Friday, defeating 14th seed Linda Noskova 6-3 6-4 to reach her third final in the California desert.
Sabalenka has been in formidable form, winning 15 of her first 16 matches of the year, with her only defeat coming against Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final.
The two could meet again in Sunday's title match if the Kazakh prevails over Elina Svitolina in Friday's second semi-final.
"Feels great, I've lost a couple of finals here, so I'll make sure that I'm more than ready on Sunday. I'll bring my best tennis and this is the year," Sabalenka said in her on-court interview.
Sabalenka seized early control, breaking for a 3-1 lead after a Noskova forehand sailed long, and then the Czech’s inconsistent serving - including a double fault - handed the Belarusian another break for 5-1.
Noskova briefly halted the momentum by breaking back when Sabalenka served for the set, only the second time the top seed had dropped her serve during the tournament.
Sabalenka quickly regrouped when she served again at 5-3, sealing the opener with an ace, while Noskova won just half of the points behind her own serve.
A break in the opening game of the second set proved enough for Sabalenka to seal the victory over the 21-year-old Noskova, who had just one chance to break back but could not convert against the Belarusian's formidable power and serving.
"Serve was the biggest thing in this match," Sabalenka added. "(Noskova) is an incredible player, I felt that if I give her a small opportunity she will take it."
It will be the 14th WTA 1000 final of Sabalenka's career.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Tom Hogue)
