Agnieszka Radwanska serves to Garbine Muguruza during their women’s singles semi-final of the WTA Finals in Singapore on Saturday. Radwanska won 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 7-5. — AFP
World number six Agnieszka Radwanska beat Garbine Muguruza 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 7-5 on Saturday to reach the championship round of the WTA Finals for the first time in Singapore.
The defensive tactician drew on her deeper experience to down the fast-rising Spanish star and will face Petra Kvitova, who defeated the in-form Maria Sharapova 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) in Sunday’s final.
“I have no words to say really,” a tearful Radwanska said as the crowd cheered.
“I didn’t know if I could come back after that first set, but I think it was a great match from the beginning until the end, so many rallies and a lot of running.
“I’m just so glad I could win this match in the end,” the Poland player added after winning the match.
Radwanska, 26, is making her seventh attempt to win the season finale, with sees the world’s top eight players fight it out for the year’s last title.
A championship trophy in Singapore will be the biggest career win for Radwanska, who reached world number two in July 2012 and is now ranked sixth.
The physically imposing Muguruza, who was also playing on the doubles side of the tournament in Singapore, showed signs of fatigue after winning the first set in a tight tiebreak.
The 22-year-old, making her debut in the WTA Finals after winning the China Open in Beijing, was hoping to be the first Spanish winner of the elite tournament after sweeping all three round-robin matches.
But the Wimbledon runner-up, who won her last four of six meetings with Radwanksa, was broken seven times in the semifinal match.
Santina make 10th final of the year The duo of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis sailed into the 10th final of the year at the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) Finals after beating Chinese Taipei's Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan in straight sets here on Saturday.
The Indo-Swiss pair posted a comfortable 6-4, 6-2 victory over the Chan sisters and went in on a monster 20-match winning streak.
Sania and Martina’s last loss was against the Taiwanese sisters in the semifinals at Cincinnati.
