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By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday June 23, 2022


Bianca Andreescu entered 2022 with a 1-4 lifetime record on grass. Fast forward a few weeks and the Canadian has won four of five and reached her first semi-final on the surface – and first semi-final on tour since April of 2021.

Tennis Express

On Thursday the 22-year-old sailed past Daria Kasatkina, 6-4, 6-1, to set a semifinal with Simona Halep at Bad Homburg, putting up an impressive performance that featured 28 winners against 24 unforced errors and five of six break points converted.

Andreescu has not dropped a set this week in Germany, and improves to 11-5 on the season, which started this spring on the clay in Stuttgart.

"It definitely means a lot because I have gone through some difficult moments," Andreescu told TSN after the match. "I persevered and having a moment like this shows how much it's worth it."


Andreescu will face another rising force next, in Romania’s Simona Halep. The 2019 Wimbledon champion has reached back-to-back semifinals on the grass after she peppered American Amanda Anisimova with pinpoint serving to win 6-2, 6-1 on Thursday.

The 30-year-old improves to 26-8 on the season and 6-1 on grass in 2022. She’s only ranked 19, but has registered impressive wins in 2022 – two over Coco Gauff, one over Ons Jabeur and another over Paula Badosa.

The Romanian defeated Andreescu in the pair’s only previous meeting, at the WTA Finals in 2019.

Andreescu remembers it well: "Having match point and screwing that up,” she recalled, when asked to drum up memories of the clash. “I think about that a couple times a month, honestly. Whenever I see her that’s all I think about."

Halep hit 31 winners and committed just 13 unforced errors as she pumped ten aces past the American on Thursday.

“It’s going to be a tough one, I’m sure,” Halep said of facing Andreescu. “It’s another match – it’s on grass, so it’s a different match.”

Halep is 42-16 lifetime on grass, and she has won 13 of her last 14 on the surface.


Cornet takes out defending champion Kerber

France’s Alizé has a penchant for big wins, and she continued the trend on Thursday by knocking out defending champion Angelique Kerber. 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, to set a semifinal with Caroline Garcia.

Cornet earns her 51st career Top-20 win (4-2 in 2022). She is 26-31 against the Top-20 since the start of 2017.

Garcia took out Sabine Lisicki, 6-3, 7-6(7).

 

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