Tennis: Pliskova upsets top seed Sabalenka to reach Montreal final, will play Giorgi
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MONTREAL (AFP) - Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova rolled into the final of the WTA hardcourt tournament in Montreal on Saturday (Aug 14) with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over top seed Aryna Sabalenka.
The win was a repeat for the fourth-seeded Czech, who defeated her Belarus rival in three sets two months ago in their All England Club semi-final.
Pliskova will fight for the Montreal title against Italy's Camila Giorgi, who needed a deciding set to see off Australian Open quarter-finalist Jessica Pegula 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in the later match.
"It's an amazing feeling to be in another final," Pliskova said.
"I was super-solid today, she said: "I did what I needed to win. I used my brain and played smart. She was missing a bit too much, I'm quite happy with the performance."
Pliskova broke Sabalenka four times and saved two of the three break points she faced.
She fired 10 aces for a total of 267 this season, putting her within touching distance of Sabalenka's tour-leading 270.
Pliskova won her 39th match of the season, top of the table on the WTA.
But even though the Czech has won 12 of her past 13 matches, she's seeking her first title of the season.
Giorgi has been on a roll in recent weeks, winning her 15th WTA match from 19 played as she moved into the first 1000-level final of her career.
"Reaching this final means a lot," she said. "I'm having a great week, all my matches have been tough.
"I knew I was playing very well," she added. "Even losing the first set, I never felt the match was in danger as I knew I was playing very well.
"The first set went very well. Losing the second... it can happen in tennis. In the third I came back even more focused.
"The final will be another great match, as usual I will just focus on my game."
"Reaching this final means a lot," she said. "I'm having a great week, all my matches have been tough.
"I knew I was playing very well," she added. "Even losing the first set, I never felt the match was in danger as I knew I was playing very well.
"The first set went very well. Losing the second... it can happen in tennis. In the third I came back even more focused.
"The final will be another great match, as usual I will just focus on my game."
The 71st-ranked Italian threatened to emerge a straight-set winner as she came from 4-1 down in the second, but Pegula fought off the attack to take it into a third before exiting.
