This year’s Australian Open semifinalist Madison Keys beat Lucie Hradecka 6-1 6-4 to reach the Charleston final where she will face Angelique Kerber who won the all-German semifinal against Andrea Petkovic.
Hradecka beat three seeds Zarina Diyas, Caroline Garcia and Sara Errani to advance to the semifinal but today Keys held all nine of her service games and saved the only break point she faced. The US teenager broke serve three times to clinch the win with 6-1 6-4 in 67 minutes.
Keys broke serve to pull away to 4-1 in the first set en route to winning it in just 21 minutes. Hradecka struggled to hold her serve at the start of the second set. She earned her first break point of the match but Keys saved it. Keys got the break in the fifth game for 3-2. She brought up her first match point but Hradecka saved it in the ninth game. Keys held her serve easily to clinch the win on the second opportunity
She will face Angelique Kerber who beat her friend and her Fed Cup teammate Andrea Petkovic 6-4 6-4. Kerber won six of their previous nine matches but Petkovic won their last three clashes. Both players traded breaks at the start of the match. Petkovic saved three break points before taking the 3-2 lead. After hard-fought games Kerber broke serve in the seventh game and did not look back to seal the first set with 6-4.
Petkovic had to save another break point at the start of the second set before holding her serve. Kerber broke serve in the third game before holding her serve in the next game for 3-1 with a down-the line forehand. Kerber did not look back and got another break. Petkovic recovered one of the two breaks and held her serve by saving a match point but it was too late. Kerber sealed the win in the tenth game
Keys and Kerber will face for the 14th time in their careers but it will be the second time they will meet in a WTA final. Last June Keys beat her German rival in Eastbourne in three sets to clinch her first WTA title. Keys is projected to move up to Number 17 in the WTA Ranking.
