Serena, Halep set up Singapore WTA final
Print Edition
SERENA Williams will get a chance to avenge a humiliating loss to Simona Halep after they both advanced to the championship match of the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore with contrasting victories yesterday.
Williams beat Caroline Wozniacki in a thrilling contest 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) to remain on course for a third straight title, while Halep swept aside Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-2 to put herself in a position for the biggest title of her career.
Halep beat Williams 6-0, 6-2 in the group stage, inflicting the American’s heaviest loss in 16 years, and the Romanian has been the form player of the tournament, dropping only 27 games across four matches.
Wozniacki served for the match at 5-4 in the third set, but Williams broke back and prevailed in the tiebreaker on her third match point after trailing 1-4.
It was a bittersweet win for Williams, who has developed a close friendship with Wozniacki. She said only matches against her sister Venus had previously created such mixed feelings.
“It was the first match I didn’t feel great — if you take Venus out of the equation — where I wasn’t happy after I won,” Williams said.
“I really wanted to cry because Caro is so nice, we get along and we do so much together. She’s like my little baby sister, from a different mother, and father, and different country.”
Williams now boasts a 10-1 career record against Wozniacki, but like twice before this year the American had to rally from a set down to beat the Dane.
Again, Williams made a slow start, taking only three points off Wozniacki’s serve in the first set and the frustration overwhelmed the American. After the seventh game, she repeatedly smashed her racquet into the court, bringing a warning from the chair umpire.
“I don’t know how many times I hit it but, boy, that racquet will never do me wrong again I tell you,” Williams said. “It was definitely legendary. I kind of lost my cool a little bit.”
Wozniacki, who had a perfect 3-0 record in the group stage, took the opening set in 26 minutes and held serve to open the second.
But then the momentum shifted and, three games later, Williams created her first break points of the match, converting to take a grip on the set, which ended on Wozniacki’s double fault.
Halep won five straight games in the first set to quickly assume a grip on the match that she never relinquished.
Radwanska took only four points off Halep’s first serve for the match, which was over in just 67 minutes.
The irony of today’s final is that Williams only qualified for the semifinals because Halep dropped a set in her final group match against Ana Ivanovic. Had the already-qualified Halep won that match in straight sets, Serbia’s Ivanovic would have made the semifinals at Williams’ expense.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
