Myskina, also the French Open champion, had already met Davenport four times but on this occasion the second seed's ill health was a factor in the Russian's 6-4, 7-6 victory, her first over Davenport, in 1hr 18min.

In what will be her fourth final this season Myskina will face Elena Dementieva, the fifth seed, who beat another Russian, Elena Bovina, 6-4, 7-5.

The first break of serve didn't arrive until the tenth game, when Myskina broke to take a 1-0 lead.

In the second set, the duo traded breaks from the start but a tie-break loomed, and Myskina held sway to set up the first ever all-Russian final at the Kremlin Cup.

"I desperately wanted to win today," said Myskina.

"It helped me a lot that Lindsay was feeling ill, while I have just recovered from a fever.

"The surface is also rather slow which is better for me as Lindsay doesn't like long rallies."

Davenport, who regained top spot in the world rankings with a second round success here earlier in the week, admitted her poor health had left her depleted.

"I felt like I couldn't play at 100-percent," said Davenport.

"Of course it's a disappointment to lose but I have positive feelings about my performance here."

Dementieva, a two-time Grand Slam runner-up this year, had no such advantage over a healthy Bovina, who lost her way in the first set when Dementieva broke serve in the third game before taking the set inside 40 minutes.

In the second the opponents produced seven breaks, but Dementieva's precision made the difference and she went on to claim the match in 1hr 40 minutes to record her fifth win in their seven head-to-head meetings.