Eugenie Bouchard of Canada will be playing in her first Grand Slam final after scoring a 7-6 (5), 6-2 straight-set win against Simona Halep of Romania in their Wimbledon 2014 semifinals on Thursday.
Bouchard, who could become the youngest Grand Slam winner when a 19-year-old Maria Sharapova won the 2006 US Open, took advantage of Halep's struggles on her serves.
Apparently, Halep, who failed to reach her second-consecutive Grand Slam finals after making it into the French Open finals, was bothered by an ankle injury, which became more painful as the game progressed.
"It was difficult to continue," Halep said via ESPN. "I felt a big pain in the moment, but then was better with the tape. But, still, I couldn't push anymore with my leg. My first serve was really bad after that."
With the win, Bouchard arranged a finals showdown with Petra Kvitova, who is aiming to win her second Wimbledon title after winning the coveted Grand Slam in 2011.
The 24-year-old Kvitova defeated her compatriot Lucie Safarova in straight sets 7-6 (6), 6-1 to reach the finals.
"I know how it feels when you hold the trophy so I really want to win my second title here and I will do everything I can," Kvitova said after the match.
Kvitova is expecting a tough match, though, saying that the 20-year-old Canadian has been playing her best tennis over the past several months, reaching the semifinals of the last three Grand Slam events.
"I find her as a very solid and talented player," Kvitova said of Bouchard. "She is confident in her game right now. She's moving very well. She's playing aggressively."
For his part, Bouchard, who is expected to move to No. 7 or No. 6 in the world rankings, expressed confidence that she can finally win her first Grand Slam title on Saturday's match.
"I've put in a lot of hard work and it's been kind of years in the making to me," Bouchard said. "So I believe in myself and I expect good results. I've had a good start to the season, but I expect myself to do even better than that."
Video highlights of the Bouchard-Halep and Kvitova-Safarova match are available here. Complete match schedule and order of play are also available on the 2014 Wimbledon website.
© 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
