Garbine Muguruza to play in her first Australian Open final against American 14th seed Sofia Kenin
Friday 31 January 2020 06:35, UK
Garbine Muguruza reached her fourth Grand Slam final and first in Melbourne after beating Simona Halep at the Australian Open.
Former French Open and Wimbledon champion Muguruza continued her Grand Slam resurgence with a 7-6 (10-8) 7-5 victory.
Muguruza is unseeded here having dropped well away from the heights that saw her beat Serena Williams to win the French Open in 2016 and Wimbledon a year later.
But the Spaniard's talents have never been in doubt and, back under the guidance of Conchita Martinez - who coached her to the Wimbledon title in a short-term arrangement - Muguruza has been rejuvenated.
This was a ding-dong battle, with Muguruza failing to serve out the first set but saving four set points, two at 5-6 and two more in the tie-break, before taking her third chance.
Halep, the 2018 finalist here and looking to add to her own French Open and Wimbledon titles, took her frustration out on her racket but broke the Muguruza serve in the second set and had a chance to serve it out at 5-3.
She could not take it, though, with Muguruza's defence a revelation as she won the final four games.
The Spaniard came to Melbourne Park as an unseeded player at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in six years and had never previously been beyond the last eight here, said: "I'm very excited to be in the final. It's a long way to go and I have one more match on Saturday.
"I wasn't thinking that I was down, I was thinking keep going and at some point you're going to have your opportunity. I was just hanging in there and fighting with all the energy I had.
"Luckily I have 48 hours to recover. We train all of our career to be able to play on this court and with this crowd."
Halep said: "To lose like this hurts more, definitely. I'm in pain now, I have to admit. But life is going on.
"I think maybe I could be a little bit more brave in the points that were important. She served very well in the important moments. I think it was a good match for both of us, but she was stronger in the end."
Halep needed hospital treatment after playing a long 2018 final in brutally hot conditions against Caroline Wozniacki.
"It was very, very hot today and I felt it," she said. "It killed me after the first set. The sun was strong. I didn't like that much to play in this weather."
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