DESTANEE Aiava and Tammi Patterson will fight out the Australian Open wildcard playoff after top seed Arina Rodionova’s December struggles led to semi-final defeat.
Patterson clawed her way back from certain defeat in the deciding set as Rodionova served for the match at 5-3.
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Reprieved, Patterson claimed four games in a row to vault into Monday’s final with a 4-6 6-3 7-5 escape.
Coached by Cara Black, Rodionova has repeatedly admitted this week to battling for timing and form while still in training mode.
Bearing down on a top-100 ranking, the Victorian will now have to qualify for the January 15-28 grand slam or rely on a discretionary wildcard.
Patterson will challenge Aiava for the privilege of entering the main draw next month.
Aiava secured her place in the championship match with a 6-4 6-1 margin over fourth seed Kimberly Birrell.
Best mates and top seeds Alex Bolt and Alex De Minaur will fight out the men’s final.
The women’s singles final starts from 11am today, with the men’s decider not before 12.30pm.
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