After a late start due to the weather, Stosur began confidently, with open forehand and sliced backhand winners, plus an ace, all in the first game.

A dull and overcast day at Devonshire Park threatened more rain, and at 3-3 after 19 minutes, with the set going with serve, that's exactly what happened.

The players stayed on court, with Petrova again interacting with the Eastbourne crowd as she has done all week; this time orchestrating a Mexican wave.

When play resumed, there was just enough time for the Russian number eight seed to crucially break serve before the rain returned, this time forcing the players off the court in order to keep warm.

Following a lengthier pause in play than the first, Petrova looked in complete control, taking a 5-3 lead and then winning the set with a love game against Stosur's serve.

Stosur, returning to tennis following a long-term absence due to illness, has performed commendably all week, but didn't have enough to counter Petrova's accuracy and serving.

The powerful Aussie, who beat teenager Caroline Wozniacki in the quarter-final, failed to capitalise on a handful of break points before going on to lose her own serve again, handing Petrova a 5-3 lead.

The tall Petrova summed up her performances this week with a thundering ace to close out the match, booking her place in the final against either world number 11 Marion Bartoli or 19-year-old Agnieszka Radwanska.

The world number 22 is looking at home on grass, with her serve and volley game progressing at just the right time.

"I'm enjoying it," she said. "It is really fun, but there is no other way (to play). If you want to win on this surface you've got to play this kind of game.

"With my serve and my volleys, I should be going to the net more often," she conceded. "But it's coming."

Petrova also admitted that the rain played a major role in her straight sets victory.

"I think it helped me to break her," she said. "It broke down her rhythm and I really told myself this was a chance."

The 26-year-old believes her relaxed attitude and involvement with the fans will stand her in good stead, both for tomorrow's final and Wimbledon next week.

"I think it's a good way to get together with the crowd," she said. "I'll try to carry it on, definitely."