SINGAPORE: Simona Halep crushed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-2 yesterday to join Serena Williams in the championship decider at the WTA Finals.
The pint-sized Romanian rebounded from her loss to Ana Ivanovic in the last group match on Friday to dominate Agnieszka at Singapore’s National Indoor Stadium.
Simona broke Agnieszka’s serve five times and racked up 26 winners against the Pole, including an overhead smash to seal her lopsided victory in just 67 minutes.
“I’m very excited to be in the final,” Simona said in a courtside interview. “I’ve played my best tennis here this week.”
The 23-year-old Simona, one of the most improved players in the women’s game, made it to the title match in her first appearance at the elite season-ending event.
Ranked 64th in the world 18 months ago, she announced her arrival as one of the game’s rising stars.
In 2013, the Romanian won her first WTA title. Then her second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth. The WTA, in one of its easiest decisions, named her as the tour’s most improved player.
At the start of this year, Simona won her first Premier-level event, at Qatar, then made her first grand slam final, at the French Open, finishing runner-up to Maria Sharapova.
But earlier this week, the 1.68 metre (5ft 6in) Simona sent everyone an ominous reminder about her potency on court when she demolished Serena 6-0, 6-2 in the round-robin stage, handing the World No 1 her heaviest defeat in 16 years.
Serena, who beat Caroline Wozniacki 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) earlier yesterday to book her place in the final, said she was looking forward to the rematch. Reuters