Anett Kontaveit will face Garbine Muguruza in the final of the season-ending WTA Finals in Guadalajara after both women battled through the semi-finals in different ways on Tuesday.
Sixth seed Muguruza defeated Spanish compatriot Paula Badosa 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the final, where the eighth-seeded Estonian Kontaveit defeated Greek fourth seed Maria Sakkari 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in just over two hours.
It means that Muguruza, a two-time Grand Slam champion, will face Kontaveit in a rematch of their group game earlier in the tournament. When the two met on Sunday, Muguruza won in straight sets.
On Tuesday, Muguruza raced through the first set in 35 minutes to take the lead but was forced to work harder in the second. Badosa paid the price for losing her cool at crucial times, most notably in the third game of the second set, when she blew three breakpoints.
Also Read: Rizwan praises young boy from Gilgit-Baltistan for incredible sketch
Instead, Muguruza maintained a 3-0 lead, and with Badosa growing increasingly frustrated with her performance, the outcome was never in doubt.
In the fourth game, Badosa held a service to make it 3-1.
But a wild pulled return from Badosa gave Muguruza a 4-1 lead, and Badosa was soon in trouble in the next game, falling behind 0-40 after two wild returns and a double-fault.
She rallied brilliantly to keep serve, saving four breakpoints, but the reprieve was only temporary.
The next two games were won on serve, leaving Muguruza with a 5-3 lead in the match.
Despite taking a 0-30 lead, Muguruza regrouped and won when Badosa sent a return into the net on match point.
Kontaveit appeared to be on track for a quick victory in the late semi-final, racing through the first set 6-1.
But the tenacious Sakkari fought back to win the second set, tying the match and forcing a decider.
Kontaveit, on the other hand, showed great character in the final set, saving eight-game points to break Sakkari for a 5-3 lead before serving out the match.
Leave a Reply