By Chris Oddo | Saturday July 23, 2016
The first WTA final of a hard-court season will be a doozy, as Venus Williams and Johanna Konta will square off for the third time in less than a year.
Photo Source: AP
A pair of scorching-hot players will square off for the first big hard-court title of the U.S. Open series on Sunday at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford.
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Jo Konta and Venus Williams each moved into the final in straights sets on Saturday, assuring the pair’s third meeting in less than a year. Wiliams and Konta have met twice, splitting their previous meetings.
Konta was first to go through on Saturday as she took out second-seeded Dominika Cibulkova, 6-4, 6-2, with a stellar performance beneath a bright blue California sky.
The British No. 1 claimed a spot in her first WTA final with the win, and though Cibulkova had assured herself a return to the Top 10 for the first time since early 2015 by reaching the semis at Stanford, it was Konta who was the stronger player from start to finish at the Taube Tennis Center on Saturday.
Konta broke for 2-1 and nearly broke again to claim the opener with Cibulkova serving at 3-5. But the Slovakian would save a set point to pressure Konta.
The 25-year-old responded nicely, powering an ace down the T to hold at love.
In the second set Konta took control early, breaking for 2-1 by forcing an error from Cibulkova with an aggressive forehand down the middle. Konta broke again for 5-2 with a backhand down-the-line winner and closed out the straight-sets win in 73 minutes moments later with a convincing hold.
Konta only dropped six points on serve over the two sets, and saved all three break points she faced.
Williams eased past fellow American Alison Riske, 6-1, 7-6(2), to book her eighth final appearance at Stanford, and first since 2009.
It has been that type of a season for the 36-year-old Williams, who reached the semifinals at Wimbledon for the first time since 2009 just three weeks ago.
The top seed broke four times on five opportunities to improve to 2-0 lifetime against Riske, saving two set points in the second set to keep alive her hopes to earn a 50th career title on Sunday.
Williams had two match points at 5-4, but struggled to hit her mark on serve, dialing up a trio of double-faults that allowed Riske to prolong the contest.
Williams saved the second set point two games later before holding to force the second-set tiebreaker.
Sunday’s final will be contested at 2 PM in Stanford, marking the first time that Williams plays in the afternoon. Konta, meanwhile, has played all three of her matches in the day.
“I think she’s feeling good,” Williams said of Konta. “It’s always tough to play someone who’s confident.”