World number 26 Flavia Pennetta shocked second seed Simona Halep to reach the US Open final.
Halep had been strong favourite to beat her 33-year-old opponent but the Romanian never found her rhythm in Arthur Ashe Stadium and Pennetta strolled through to her first ever major final.
"It means everything," Pennetta said.
"It's amazing. It's not something I ever thought to come so far here today.
"I think I played really well. I didn't know how to handle all her pressure I felt. It's amazing, to be here, on this court, with a crowd like this.
"I've just tried to play every match the best I can, not think too much about the draw, be focused and here I am so I'm really happy."
Pennetta will be fresh for Saturday's final after spending just 59 minutes on court and, on this evidence, could cause problems with her excellent backhand and strength from the baseline.
Halep was sloppy throughout, unable to choose between attacking her opponent and dictating the rallies, or rely on her more natural game of consistent hitting and defence.
In the end, she did neither, registering only 10 winners to Pennetta's 23 during the match and 23 unforced errors to her opponent's 16.
As her frustration mounted, Pennetta's confidence grew as she broke twice in the opening set to win five games in a row and seal the frame.
Halep showed glimpses of some fight at the start of the second, moving 3-1 clear after taking an early break, but errors crept into the world number two's game again and she crumbled thereafter.
Pennetta strung together 15 points in a row to take a 5-3 lead and, with Halep now all but resigned to defeat, the Italian cruised to victory, becoming the third Italian to make a major final in the Open era.
