The Russian player beat Radwanska and will now take on the Romanian, who is in the final of the Madrid tournament for the first time in her career after seeing off Petra Kvitova.
The Romanian Simona Halep and the Russian Maria Sharapova will meet in the final of the Mutua Madrid Open after coming through their semi-final clashes against Petra Kvitova and Agnieszka Radwanska during the day session in Madrid.
Saturday morning at the Mutua Madrid Open saw the Romanian Simona Halep become the first player to reach the final, something she has never done before in Madrid, after beating Czech player Petra Kvitova, the 2011 champion, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 in the semis. The two players, sixth and fifth in the WTA ranking, had only met once before on the women’s tour, in the final of the 2013 tournament in New Haven, when Halep came out on top.
The players produced a passionate first set which eventually went to a tiebreak. In the breaker, Kvitova dominated to take the first points and a lead into the second set. In the second set, Halep turned the match on its head with two service breaks to take the second set and force a third.
The start of the final set was vital. Halep took advantage of her opponent’s unforced errors (more than 50), and broke Kvitova’s serve again to earn her place in the final of the Madrid tournament. The world number six had no answers, and little by little she was ground down by the Romanian. Then came Maria Sharapova’s turn.
The Russian player came flying out the blocks to win the first set 6-1. Her momentum carried her through to a three-game lead in the second, but Radwanska rallied to win the next four games and take the lead in the second set.
At a crucial point of the match, the world number 3 was unable to hold her serve and gave ground back to a Sharapova who was enjoying a successful day on the baseline. In the end, the break at 4-3 was decisive and the Russian sealed her passage to the final of the Madrid tournament for the second consecutive year. There, she will be looking for her first win on the clay in Madrid.
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