Sharapova One Match from Defending WTA Birmingham Title

Sharapova stumbled leading 5-2 in the first, allowing the French teen to even the match at 5-5 before racing to eight of the last nine games.

"I think it was pretty well done today," said Sharapova, still shaking off a cold and a thigh strain. "I was pretty relaxed from the start. I still don't feel 100 percent physically, but at least tennis-wise I played much better."

Golovin was also among the walking wounded, twisting an ankle and suffering an infection from a cut on her foot.

"(The foot bandage) held up pretty well in the first set, but at the start of the second set I slipped and the bandages fell off," Golovin said. "It was a pretty good first set that could have gone either way, and that gives me hope for Wimbledon."

In the final the Russian products-model will face No. 3 seed Jelena Jankovic, who in her semifinal ran through unseeded American Laura Granville 6-2, 6-2 in under an hour.

"I started the match well and broke in the first game which gave me an advantage throughout the match," Jankovic said. "I didn't expect to be in the final as I didn't know how to play on grass very well before this week."

Sharapova leads the head-to-head with Jankovic 2-0.

"I will just go out and play my game," said the baseline-bashing Sharapova, throwing tactics to the wind. "Our first match went to three sets at the US Open, so I can't expect an easy match."

The doubles final will be the unseeded Greek/American duo of Daniilidou/Russell (d. (1) Black/Huber in the semis) vs. (2) Hantuchova/Sugiyama (d. Aussies (4) Stewart/Stosur, with Stewart retiring with a thigh sprain trailing 4-6, 4-3).