Coco Gauff loses straight sets in the semi-finals of the Eastbourne International
Keys will face Russia's Daria Kasatkina, who beat Camila Giorgi 6-2 7-5, in the final on Saturday.
The win was Keys' first over a top-10 player on grass since she beat Angelique Kerber to win the 2014 tournament at Eastbourne.
Gauff, 19, faces world number 126 Sofia Kenin in the first round at Wimbledon.
Keys gained the upper hand in the fifth game of the match when she broke Gauff's serve - and then did so again to clinch the first set.
Gauff claimed an early break in the second set but her service game let her down as three consecutive double faults at 2-1 allowed Keys back in.
Keys, who has not dropped a set in the tournament, squandered three match points at 5-3, but held her nerve at deuce to serve out the match.
The 28-year-old had a painful fall in the fifth game of the second set at a blustery Devonshire Park and had to dig deep to progress.
"I just took a slip and my hip went in the direction it shouldn't have gone in. Hopefully it's fine for tomorrow," Keys said.
"It's definitely 10 times more difficult when you have to play Coco and then you throw in hurricane winds on top of it. So being able to make a final here where I won my first title is amazing."
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