Kirilenko will meet Samantha Stosur in Sunday's final after the Australian eased past Jill Craybas of the United States 6-0, 6-1.
Russia's Kirilenko needed 2 hours, 18 minutes for her victory over Kanepi, which gives her a chance to claim her third title this year after winning at Estoril and Barcelona.
Kirilenko squandered a 5-1 lead before winning a close first set. Kanepi broke serve in the fourth game of the second set and held on to draw the match level.
Kanepi started the third set strongly, breaking serve in the first game before conceding several unforced errors that let Kirilenko regain her composure and hold on for the match.
"Today was so difficult. I was down 2-0 in the third set, and every game was really difficult,'' said Kirilenko, who lost to Venus Williams in the final here last year. "I'm really happy to get through all of this.''
Stosur combined a powerful serve and well-timed returns to beat Craybas in just 45 minutes.
"I played very well. I didn't really do anything wrong, and just never let Jill get into it,'' said Stosur, who is after her first WTA singles title. "I'm very, very happy with the way I played.''
Stosur and Kirilenko have played each other three times, with Stosur winning twice.
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