Finals are, for the most part, a time for favourites.

At this year’s Brisbane International, it’s a time for dreamers and fairytales.

As seeds have tumbled in both the men’s and women’s draw, only Australia specialist Aryna Sabalenka has bucked the trend in reaching the decider as per rankings. 

Polina Kudermetova, who will join her in the final, had to qualify for this tournament, her off-season ranking of 107 not enough for a main-draw entry.

Seven matches later, she’s in her first WTA final.

All eyes on the men’s draw had been on number one seed Novak Djokovic, but with his stunning defeat to Reilly Opelka in the quarterfinal, attention shifted to the American’s battle with the second of the two big serving giants, French vanquisher of Nick Kyrgios, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. 

Opelka is as good a story as there is at this tournament — the injuries that had denied him a place on the tour for the best part of two years were behind him and he was responsible for a giant killing by giant player, a giant story for this season opener.

But were those issues actually over? Was his dream about to turn into a nightmare he had lived for so long?

Having broken early in the opening set, the 211cm-tall American started to worry at his wrist, the same one that had needed two operations and had kept him out of the game for the best part of two years.

“I was pissed,” Opelka said.

“Yeah, I’m mad. It’s frustrating. I’ve been doing it for two years.”

Twice Opelka needed treatment on court.

Surely his fairytale would not end so brutally, so soon after his triumphant re-emergence into the limelight?

“I’m not worried about it at all,” he said, saying it was the opposite side to the issues he has had in the past.

“It’s just like, when it happens, that is nothing I can do, it just gets jammed up.”

However hampered he was by the injury — and there were multiple times where he had to flex at the wrist between points as the second set went to a tie break — he needed no more treatment, and prevailed, winning 6-3, 7-6 (7/4). 

“That’s a pretty sweet feeling,” Opelka said of reaching the final.

“I fought the toughest way guys get to the final, you know, like I should get a few more ranking points than whatever I’m getting,” he joked.

Injury impacted the other men’s semifinal as well.

Number two seed Grigor Dimitrov, who was enjoying another dreamy run to a Brisbane final, went down with a hip injury. Match over, hopefully nothing worse than that. 

It allowed Jiří Lehečka, who was ahead in the match in any case, to march through to claim a final berth that was perhaps a touch unexpected itself.

Dimitrov ensured the Czech world number 28 had to absorb some thunderous shots in the opening few games, but then Lehečka earned that all-important break.

Breaking Dimitrov is impressive — the number two seed’s serves regularly touch 200 kilometres per hour and are backed up by ferocious groundstrokes.

He hadn’t so much as faced a break point since Yannick Hanfmann earned three in the first round, 15 service games ago.

But Lehečka is a different proposition.

He too was powering serves down at more than 200kmh, and his groundstrokes were precise, his slices exact and his movement around the court fluid.

Lehečka will need all that ability to survive the final against giant server Opelka, injury or no injury.

“That’s a good question. I need to ask my coach for that,” Lehečka said with a smile when asked about how he planned to deal with the ferocious serving coming his way in the final. 

“It will be a big challenge. Doesn’t really matter who wins, I will need to be focused 100 per cent all the time. I will need to focus on every point, every chance, because the chance can be gone in a very small moment.”

Sabalenka rolling towards another title

Sabalenka had no such trouble on the women’s side of the draw.

The Belarusian world number one is a serial winner, a dominant force on the women’s tour with two Australian Open titles in her pocket and 17 WTA titles.

If her brutal assault of Mirra Andreeva is anything to go by, an old-fashioned duel at 32 paces full of brutal groundstrokes at ever-increasing velocities, then she is nailed on to win an 18th and complete a perfect preparation for Melbourne.

Andreeva threw haymakers from the back court with no regard for reputation or match situation, but ultimately fell short, as Sabalenka’s attempts to add variety enjoyed variable success.

“It’s not working really well, but that’s what I’m trying to develop in my game,” Sabalenka said.

“I really believe and I really think having those tricky shots, that slice, changing the rhythm, it’s going to really bring a lot of benefits to my game. 

“There is always something to improve. I’m always hoping for new things. So far they’re not really working really well, but I really believe they’re going to work well in the future.” 

That immediate future is qualifier Polina Kudermetova, whose week has already been groundbreaking.

Her maiden WTA final appearance is a chance to conclude her fairytale stay in South-East Queensland with the writing of a concluding chapter.

The 21-year-old Russian had never before beaten a top-10 opponent before she dismissed her fellow countrywoman, world number nine Daria Kasatkina in three sets in the third round.

In a bottom half of the draw blown wide open by the impressive runs of Kim Birrell and her fellow unseeded players, Kudermetova has profited by steadily and unspectacularly moving her way through the draw to become just the third qualifier to progress to a WTA Brisbane International final.

Yet her recent form suggests that an extended stay inside the top 100 is imminent — this was the eighth win in a row she has achieved against a player in the top 100.

“When I was coming to Australia, I say for my coach, ‘hopefully I will win the quallies, the first one,” she said with a broad smile at her post-match press conference.

“Then I say, when I was winning the quallies, I say ‘let’s try to win one game, I will be happy’.

“Then he all the time tell me, just play for your match, what you were doing, your work on the practice [court] and you will win the match.”

Clinical in taking her chances against Anhelina Kalinina in the semifinal, Kudermetova won all three of the break points availed of her to power through 6-4, 6-3.

A proponent of the drop shot — “It’s my favourite one” — that deftness of touch will be crucial if Kudermetova is to continue her run against number one seed Sabalenka.

The indications are that Sabalenka will have too much power for Kudermetova, but Sabalanka is too experienced to take her foot off the gas.

“She’s aggressive player,” Sabalenka said of Kudermetova.

“Definitely in the mindset like nothing to lose. I’ll have to stay aggressive, put as much pressure as I can on her. 

“She’s in the finals, definitely she deserves it. I’m really looking forward to facing her for the first time.”