Petra Kvitova has fended off a fierce first-set challenge and the roasting Melbourne heat to defeat American up-and-comer Danielle Collins 7-6(2) 6-0 and book a maiden women’s singles final berth at Melbourne Park.

The showing is the eighth seed’s first grand slam final appearance in five years, and is also her first major final since she suffered a hand injury, inflicted by a knife-wielding home intruder in 2016.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova fell down a break early in the first set following a string of error-prone points, before immediately recovering the deficit.

Momentum started shifting Kvitova’s way at 4-4 with the Rod Laver Arena roof closing due to the extreme conditions, which favoured the Czech’s powerful left-handed game.

“I was a fan that the roof closed. It helped me a little bit,” Kvitova told Nine‘s Jim Courier post-match.

Petra Kvitova will face either US Open champ Naomi Osaka or fellow Czech Karolina Pliskova in the final. Photo: Getty

However, the first-time Melbourne Park semi-finalists traded service games all the way to the tiebreak, where the fancied Kvitova eventually ran away to strike the opening blow.

The first-set triumph was critical in releasing tension from Kvitova’s groundstrokes; she then reeled off six straight games to race away with the match.

She hit 30 winners compared to Collins’ 9 for the match and managed to secure four of 10 break-point opportunities, with three coming in the second set.

Kvitova said her semi-final showing indicated the level of commitment she had invested in the game since the horrific incident just over two years ago.

“This means everything. I worked very hard to be in a final of a major, finally I could make it again,” she said.

“The first set was very tight. I was very nervous and couldn’t have a full swing. I wasn’t relaxed in matches as before. But finally it came in the tiebreak.”

Kvitova will now face either US Open Naomi Osaka or fellow Czech Karolina Pliskova in Saturday’s women’s final.

“I think Karolina had a great match against Serena. She has the fire, but both are playing very well. They both play aggressively from the baseline,” she said of her potential opponents.