US Open champion Naomi Osaka has stormed past Italy's Camila Giorgi 6-2 6-3 to reach the final of the Pan Pacific Open, where she will face Karolina Pliskova.
Osaka's victory on Saturday in front of an expectant Tokyo home crowd was her 10th in a row and didn't look in doubt from the moment she pounded down a huge ace with her first serve of the match.
The 20-year-old, who became Japan's first ever grand slam singles champion in New York two weeks ago, hit a further eight aces to overwhelm world No.37 Giorgi.
Osaka carried the poise and power that saw her overcome Serena Williams in the Flushing Meadows final and, helped by eight double faults from Giorgi, wrapped up the victory in just 72 minutes.
A runner-up at this event two years ago, Osaka hasn't dropped a set this week and has had her service broken just once.
She will face world No.8 Pliskova in the final after the Czech outlasted Croatia's Donna Vekic 6-2 4-6 6-3 in a match that lasted more than two hours.
Pliskova has spent more time on court than any other player at this tournament despite a first-round bye.
The former world No.1 stormed into an early 4-0 lead before wrapping up the first set in less than half an hour.
Vekic, though, had defeated top 10 players Sloane Stephens and Caroline Garcia on the way to the last four and recovered from an early break of serve in the second set to secure two breaks of her own.
Pliskova looked tired but dug deep in the third set and the quality of her hitting eventually broke Vekic's resolve.
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