Miami  - Teenager Victoria Azarenka reinforced this week's first-ever move into the Top 10 as she reached her first major final with a marathon 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 defeat of former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Miami Masters on Thursday.

The 19-year-old, Arizona-based Azarenka spent nearly three hours and needed four match points to finally book her spot. She awaits the result of the clash later between sisters Serena and Venus Williams, who between them hold eight titles at their "home" event.

Azarenka also re-wrote a painful episode in her recent history after holding a match point but losing to 2006 champion Kuznetsova in the 2008 round of 32 at Crandon Park.

On a steaming hot afternoon, the youngster from Belarus was unable to serve out victory with a 5-4 lead in the final set as Kuznetsova saved a match point from an error and then profited as the nervous Azarenka double-faulted for 5-all.

But the Russian's serve let her down in the next game, with the Belarus youngster breaking for 6-5. Azarenka finally clinched the win a game later after Kuznetsova salvaged another two match points but fired a backhand into the net to end the encounter.

Azarenka triumphed in a hard slog with 26 winners and 42 unforced errors, breaking on six of her dozen chances.

Kuznetsova had won all three of the pair's previous meetings, losing only one set in the process.

But the experienced Russian who won the 2004 US Open was unable to nose over the line against the talented number 10, winner of events in Brisbane and Memphis this season.

The Williams pair will be playing for Serena's number 1 ranking with a loss to her sister Venus automatically shifting Russian Dinara Safina into the top spot from Monday. dpa