Although Safarova took the first set, the Hungarian hung tough and then broke the Russian in the fourth game of the second set to tie the match. She then traded breaks with her opponent in the third and tightest set to take the championship.

“It feels great. I haven’t really processed it yet but I will,” Czink said. “I went match by match this week. This was the toughest match this week. I had to take some risks on her serve today – sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. We really pushed each other, and I’m happy I could come out the winner.”

“We both played a good match. I think it just came down to a few balls and she did it better,” Safarova said. “The whole week I was trying to be very aggressive and move forward, but she did the same today and I had trouble dealing with it. I didn’t feel I did anything wrong today. It could have gone either way.

“I hope to come back next year and do better. Unless you win, you can always do better!”

This was Czink’s first final of the Tour and she beat the higher seeds in Quebec this week to win, including Nadia Petrova and Aleksandra Wozniak in the proceeding two rounds.

The big story is top seed Nadia Petrova retiring before the second set due to an illness, meaning fifth seed Melinda Czink advances after a 7-6 (4) first set.

Czink will be taking on Aleksandra Wozniak. The Quebec native beat Alla Kudryavtseva in a 6-1, 6-1 route. Czink has beaten Wozniak in all three of their previous meetings. Their only WTA meeting came earlier this year on grass in Birmingham, with the Hungarian edging the Canadian in about as tight a three-setter as you can get, 67(7) 75 75.

In the other semifinal, Lucie Safarova and Julia Goerges both advanced. Safarova beat wildcard and last year’s finalist Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-3, 6-4, while Goerges had a 6-2, 6-4 win over Lilia Osterloh.

The two women have never faced off before, but will now meet in the semis Safarova is aiming for her seventh WTA final (she is 4-2 in the first six). Goerges has never been to a singles final on the tour; this is her third career semifinal, going 0-2 so far.

The semifinals will take place later today with the finals going on Sunday.

Wozniak is the second highest seed after Sabine Lisicki had to withdraw from the tournament after getting injured at the US Open.

Also advancing No.4 seed Lucie Safarova beat another French-Canadian, Valérie Tétreault, 6-2, 6-2 and Bethany Mattek-Sands, who reached the finals in Quebec last year beat fellow American Vania King, 6-3, 6-3.

The quarters will all take place on Friday, with top seed Nadia Petrova facing Melinda Czink, Wozniak taking on Alla Kudryavtseva, Safarova taking on Mattek-Sands and Julia Goerges playing Lilia Osterloh.