By Tennis Now | Friday, January 5, 2018
Katerina Siniakova said it was her dream to play Maria Sharapova.
The reigning Shenzhen Open champion sent Sharapova packing to set up a marquee final with world No. 1 Simona Halep.
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Siniakova subdued Sharapova, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in just under two hours in a match played in drizzly and blustery conditions.
World No. 47 Siniakova started the match aggressively as Sharapova struggled to hold her serve.
The 30-year-old Russian’s first serve percentage stood at 55 percent and she had her serve broken in the third and seventh games of the first set.
The second set saw the tide turn, as Sharapova started strongly and a furious back-hand cross court service return on her sixth break opportunity of the second game saw her take a 2-0 lead.
Backed by wild crowd support, the Russian did not face a single break point in the second set as she held on to force a decider.
There were no break points in the first five games of the final set, but when Siniakova converted the first break opportunity she had in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead, the writing was on the wall.
Sharapova saved two match points in the eighth game, and another in the ninth, but there was no stopping her plucky 21-year-old Czech opponent, who slipped twice in the final point but recovered splendidly to complete the emotional victory.
“I can’t even describe it. I’m really happy and I think you could see the emotion when I finally won the last point," Siniakova said. "It was a tough match for me and even tougher to close it. I’m a player who will fight for every point and never give up and I think this match shows it.”
The top-seeded Halep continued her fine early season form as she completed a commanding 6-1, 6-4 victory over compatriot Irina-Camelia Begu in 90 minutes.
The 26-year-old Halep was strong out of the gates, winning 76 percent of her service points and not facing a single break point in a one-sided opening set.
The pair, who play in tomorrow’s doubles finals as partners, exchanged breaks in the third and fourth games of the second set before Halep took four points on the trot against serve in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead.
World No. 43 Begu had two break opportunities in the next game to level matters but Halep saved both to stay in control.
In the end, Halep, who has not lost to a countrywoman in over seven years nor lost to Begu on tour, completed her win on serve with a powerful backhand crosscourt drive on her second match point in the tenth game of the set.
"It was a tough match, I know that she's a very strong player and in the second set, you could see that she was improving her game," Halep said. "I'm really proud with my victory today. It was a tough one. I'm really happy to play the final again here. I always enjoy playing here and it's going to be a big challenge tomorrow.”
Halep, the 2015 tournament champion, will play for her 16th career title tomorrow.
Siniakova will play for her third career title when she takes on Halep for the second time in her career tomorrow at 2 pm local time on Center Court, having beaten her in the second round in Shenzhen last year.
“It’s amazing to be back in the final. It will be different from last year when it was the second round," Siniakova said. "She probably didn’t know me so well. I will try to show my best like I did today and hopefully it will go my way.”