By Alberto Amalfi | Saturday, April 28, 2018
Explosive servers skilled in the art of acceleration will play for the Porsche convertible parked above the Stuttgart court.
WTA ace leader Karolina Pliskova powered past Anett Kontaveit, 6-4, 6-2, into her first final of the season in Stuttgart.
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Pliskova pumped 22 winners, including six aces, and did not face a break point in streaking into her first clay-court final since she defeated compatriot Lucie Hradecka to capture the 2015 Prague title.
The fifth-seeded Pliskova will face CoCo Vandeweghe in tomorrow's final on the red clay of the Porsche Arena with the winner earning the champion's check and the keys to the red Porsche.
Continuing her dynamic all-court attack, Vandeweghe vanquished Caroline Garcia, 6-4, 6-2, advancing to her first career clay-court final.
"Once I did get the break, I knew for myself I really have to control my service points," Vandeweghe said afterward. "And I thought I did that extremely well. I did not face a break point so that's a job well done by me and I can pat myself on the back because that's a really good achievement for me."
Empowered by her straight-sets sweep of world No. 1 Simona Halep yesterday, the American wild card overpowered the world No. 7 in the second set.
Pliskova's game is predicated on her crackling serve and damaging forehand. Pliskova broke down Kontaveit's forehand drawing successive errors to break for 5-4.
Serving for the set, Pliskova opened and close the game with aces sealing a one-set lead.
The sixth-ranked Czech, who edged reigning Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals, never looked back closing in 65 minutes to raise her record to 19-7 on the season.
The 2016 US Open finalist is playing for her 10th career title and first since she won Eastbourne last June.
The 26-year-old Vandeweghe has won three of four meetings with Pliskova, including a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win in the 2017 US Open quarterfinals. That came five months after Pliskova swept Vandeweghe, 7-6 (2), 6-4, in the Stuttgart round of 16.