Simona Halep makes first Wimbledon final with Svitolina win
Simona Halep has overcome Ukrainian opponent Elina Svitolina 6-1 6-3 to set up her debut Wimbledon final.
The Romanian who is making her ninth main draw appearance at SW19 crushed her 8th seeded opposition in the first set, with Svitolina failing to hold serve once.
Both women were forced to work hard to hold their opening service games, with Halep saving three break points and holding serve, before going onto win her third break point to take a 2-0 advantage. The first two games of the first set took 20 minutes alone.
A rare poor game from the 7th seed Halep saw her broken to love by Svitolina, but after the Ukranian made an unfoced error on a forehand which went into the net, the Romanian was soon back up a break. A successive hold and further break of serve saw former French Open champion Halep to a 5-1 advantage and chance to serve for the first set. Despite having five set points saved by 24 year old Svitolina, Halep was able to capitalise on the sixth when she drilled a big serve to set up a down the line forehand winner to take the first set.
Playing her first Grand Slam semi final, Svitolina looked a different player at the start of the second set. She was able to come out strong behind serve, and manage to hold onto her first three service games. Three years senior to her opponent though, Simona Halep was determined to make the final.
Having made the finals of the French Open in 2014, 2017 and 2018, and Australian in 2018, Halep was able to tick off one of the remaining Slams this afternoon. A wide forehand from Svitolina gave the Romanian a break of serve to go 4-3 up in the second. And after a hold of serve to consolidate the break, Halep forced her opponent into a backhand error to break serve against and take the second set 6-3 and secure her position in the Wimbledon final.
Halep has won just one of her four Grand Slam finals. She will face either Serena Williams or unseeded Czech Barbora Strycova in the final. The 7th seed has never faced Williams in any of those finals, but does however trail 9-1 across their 10 previous meetings. She holds a 5-1 record over world number 54th ranked Strycova.
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