Ivanovic made a slow start against her Chinese opponent, who was taking part in the second grass tournament of her career, and trailed 2-0 after the opening two games.
But the Serb recovered in impressive fashion, putting Zhang on the backfoot as she recorded nine straight games on her way to a 57-minute victory.
"I played myself into the match slowly," Ivanovic said. "I could have served better but I also did a lot of things well and didn't give her many chances, which is important as she's a dangerous player.
"I'm just happy to play here. It's great preparation for Wimbledon and I'm glad to have got so many matches in on the grass."
Czech Strycova recovered from 5-1 down in the first set tie-break against Dellacqua, before comfortably winning the second to reach her fourth WTA final.
(Reporting By Michael Hann, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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