By Chris Oddo | Saturday October 31, 2015
Agnieszka Radwanska came back from a set down to surprise Garbine Muguruza in the Singapore Semis.
Photo Source: Clive Brunskill/Getty
Agnieszka Radwanska snapped a four-match losing streak against Garbine Muguruza in Singapore to book her spot in the WTA Finals title match on Sunday with a 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5 victory.
Sharapova: Muguruza has Arrived
“No words to say really,” an emotional Radwanska said after the match. “I didn’t know if I could come back after that first set. I think it was a great match from the beginning to the end. I’m just so glad I could win that match.”
Radwanska fell behind early when she failed to protect a 4-1 lead in the first-set tiebreaker. But she reclaimed momentum in the second set by racing out to a 4-0 lead. Muguruza hit back, taking the next three games, but Radwanska finished off the set and took a 3-0 lead in set three.
After a rally by Muguruza brought her level, the pair moved in lockstep towards the finish line.
Muguruza, who seemed to waver emotionally and physically after winning the opener, found her passion down the stretch.
But the craftiness and resolve of Radwanska won out. The Pole broke Muguruza as the Spaniard served to force a third-set tiebreaker, closing proceedings in two hours and 38 minutes when she converted her second match point.
“After two losses in the beginning I thought it was kind of over,” Radwanska told the crowd in Singapore. “I just had nothing to lose against Simona [Halep on Thursday].”
Radwanska hit 29 winners against 24 unforced errors, while Muguruza struck 49 winners and 54 unforced errors. Radwanska finished with seven breaks of serve on fifteen opportunities and though she struggled to win second serve points, she was better with her first serve, winning 70 percent to only 60 percent for Muguruza.
Radwanska will face either Maria Sharapova or Petra Kvitova in Sunday’s final. The 28-year-old is the first player from Poland to have ever reached the finals of the event. Agnieszka Radwanska snapped a four-match losing streak against Garbine Muguruza in Singapore to book her spot in the WTA Finals title match on Sunday with a 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5 victory.