Samantha Stosur survived a late fight-back from unseeded German Angelique Kerber to win her semi-final 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 and give rise to Australian hopes of a long-overdue US Open female winner.

The Australian completed the victory in one hour and 46 minutes and will play home favourite Serena Williams in her second grand slam final at 6:30am (AEST) on Monday.

Stosur, one of the most powerful hitters in the women's game, regained her composure after dropping the second set and failing to serve out the match at the first attempt.

The 27-year-old Queenslander held her nerves to become the first Australian to reach the US Open women's final since Wendy Turnbull in 1977, seven years before Stosur was born and a year before the tournament was moved from Forest Hills to the current site at Flushing Meadows.

The nation's last woman to win a grand slam title was Evonne Goolagong Cawley at Wimbledon in 1980 and the last at the US Open was the great Margaret Court in 1973.

"It's pretty hard to describe, it's one of the best feelings I've ever had," Stosur told Fox Sports post-match.

"Hopefully I can improve. Today I played solid and under the circumstances I'm really happy to get through.

"I probably played a bit better in my quarter-final so if I can find some good form...

"I know the final is going to be tough whoever it is against. I've just got to go out there and play well and see what I can do."

Kerber, playing in her first grand slam semi-final, forced a decisive third set after taking control of the second but was unable to stay with Stosur in the third, as the ninth seed raised her game and raced to a 5-0 lead.

Stosur blew her first chance to serve it out as Kerber broke then held her own serve to give herself a glimmer of hope.

But Stosur finished her off in the next game, thrusting her arms into the air in jubilation.

"In the second set she was really dictating play before I could, but in the third set I just tried to settle down and concentrate on my own game plan," Stosur said.

"It's always tough to serve a match but having a 5-0 buffer helps."

Stosur said Kerber being somewhat of an unknown quantity made life difficult, especially in the second set.

"It's not really the person you would expect to play in a semi-final," Stosur said.

"Obviously she was playing great tennis so I couldn't take her lightly and we had never played each other so that made it a little more difficult as well.

"She is kind of tricky, she hits the ball pretty flat and it doesn't look like she hits the ball that hard but it comes through and skids off the court.

"In the third set I just tried to remember what I cam out here doing in the first set and tried to execute better."

Stosur, Australia's best prospect in years, made the final at the French Open last year but lost to Italy's Francesca Schiavone.

Stosur will pick up a guaranteed cheque for $852,000 for reaching the final with the champion earning $1.7 million for a fortnight's work.

ABC/AFP