Radwanska reaches Wimbledon final
Radwanska reaches Wimbledon final
Agnieszka Radwanska became the first Pole to
reach a Grand Slam final since 1937 as she overwhelmed Angelique Kerber
6-3 6-4 in their Wimbledon semi-final.
Radwanska will play sixth seed Serena Williams in Saturday's final after the American beat second seed Victoria Azarenka 6-3 7-6(6).
After a shaky start, third seed Radwanska proved too consistent for
her friend Kerber, who had led the first set 3-1 following an early
break.
But Radwanska found her range and grew in confidence, forcing the left-handed Kerber to run around court.
"We are really good friends, of course, but on court we're opponents
and you're trying everything to make the final," Radwanska said.
"We both were a bit nervous at the beginning, of course. You really
want to try your best but sometimes you want it too much and your hands
are shaking about, but after that I concentrated on every point."
The 23-year-old broke back to level the first set at 3-3 when eighth
seed Kerber netted a forehand and did so again to lead 5-3 before
serving out for the set, which she sealed with an ace in under half an
hour.
Radwanska broke again early in the second set and although Kerber had
one huge chance to level for 3-3, when her opponent put a backhand
behind the baseline following a 16-stroke rally, the German wasted it
sending a forehand long.
After that, Kerber never looked like getting back into the match and
Radwanska sealed victory on her first matchpoint to become only the
second Pole to reach a grand slam final.
Jadwiga Jedrzejowska was the runner-up at the 1937 Wimbledon and US Championships and the 1939 French Championships.
