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By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, May 19, 2018

 
Simona Halep

Simona Halep broke serve 11 times fighting off Maria Sharapova, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, to set up a Rome final rematch with reigning champion Elina Svitolina.

Photo credit: Photo credit: Internazionali BNL d'Italia Facebook

Facing fear is a prerequisite for premier championships.

Traumatized from suffering five service breaks in the opening set, Simona Halep confided to coach Darren Cahill she was spooked by Maria Sharapova's menacing returns.

Watch: Svitolina Sweeps Into Second Rome Final

A fearless Halep held the line and conquered the horror breaking in the final game to seal a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 conquest of Sharapova and reach the Rome final for the second straight year.

The world No. 1 converted 11 of 17 break points in a semifinal that featured 19 breaks of serve in all. Halep played cleaner tennis down the stretch committing 22 unforced errors—20 fewer than Sharapova—in raising her record to 29-5. 

Fitness and fast feet helped Halep improve to 10-2 in three-setters this season.




It was Halep's first three-set victory over the five-time Grand Slam champion and sent her into a Rome title rematch with reigning champion Elina Svitolina.

The fourth-seeded Svitolina needed just 74 minutes to dismiss 26th-ranked Estonian Anett Kontaveit, 6-4, 6-3, and charge into her 14th career final.

A year ago, Svitolina surged past Halep, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, to take the Rome title.

Weeks later, Halep turned the tables, denying a match point in the tie break roaring back to win 11 of the last 12 games stunning Svitolina, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-0, to surge into her second Roland Garros semifinal in the last three years.

The blockbuster Halep-Sharapova semifinal was a rematch of the 2014 Roland Garros final, which Sharapova won 6-4 , 6-7 (5), 6-4.

Playing her fifth three-setter in her last six matches, Sharapova scraped running drives out of the corners, deployed the drop shot brilliantly, utilized her left-handed forehand several times and took an extended bathroom break after the second set today just as she did in that Roland Garros final.

The top seed stared down everything the former No. 1 threw at her, responded with bold strikes down the line at crunch time and challenged Sharapova's legs, drained from her three hour, 10-minute victory over reigning Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko yesterday.

"It's always tough to play against," Halep said of Sharapova. "She is playing really flat, it's tough to return the ball... I just stayed focused on what I had to do, on -court coaching was great then I changed the tactic and it worked out well for me."

Two champions possessing sniper returns squared off for the ninth time with Sharapova prevailing in seven of their prior eight meetings.

Predictably, the returner dominated early action.

Six straight breaks started this semifinal.

Thirty-four minutes into the match, Sharapova slashed a dagger running backhand down the line to earn the first hold. Despite being broken at love twice, Sharapova held a 4-3 lead.

On the stretch, Sharapovan can be dangerous. She whipped a short-angled forehand winner on the run banging out her fourth break for 5-3.

If the three-time champion had visions of closing, Halep had other ideas.

The Australian Open finalist exploited a pair of double faults and hammered deep returns breaking back in the ninth game.




Treating the Romanian's serve with pure disdain, Sharapova hammered out punishing returns breaking at love to take the opening set in 47 minutes.

The first set featured nine breaks in 10 games and left Halep admitting to coach Cahill she was so traumatized by the Russian's return she was "afraid to serve."

Cahill urged Halep to play heavier topspin down the middle, crack her two-handed backhand down the line and show "the same attitude on the service games as on the return games."

Unsurprisingly, the return-dominant trend continued as Halep drew a pair of forehand errors converting her fourth break point to start the second set.

Sixty-five minutes into the match, Halep held for the first time all day to back up the break.

Establishing her range and rhythm in baseline rallies, Halep began putting more shape on her shots playing with more height and spin.

When Sharapova plastered a backhand down the line into net, Halep had her second break of the set extending her advantage to 4-1.




"Go up and snap it, do the quicker mototion, go up and rip it," coach Thomas Hogsted advised Sharapova urging a more aggressive approach to serve.

Playing proactive points, Halep rolled through four straight games snatching the second set on Sharapova's seventh double fault.

For the fourth time in the tournament, Sharapova would go the three-set distance.

They traded breaks to start the decider. A terrific self-preservation stab volley helped Halep break for 3-1.




The three-time champion broke at love in the seventh game then held for 4-all.

Then Halep found a higher great. Halep reeled off eight of the final 10 points blasting a big forehand down the line for double match point.

When Sharapova netted a forehand, Halep issued a furious fist pump reaching her 30th career final. The Romanian will play for her 17th career title tomorrow.

 

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