Simona Halep moved to within two victories of a first-ever US Open title after recording a grueling three-set win over Victoria Azarenka on Tuesday. The second seed will look to grab that coveted spot in the final when she takes on the ever-dangerous Flavia Pennetta in a mouth-watering clash this coming Friday.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this semis matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the other women’s semifinal between defending champion Serena Williams and Roberta Vinci.
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Simona Halep vs. Flavia Pennetta Preview
Where: Arthur Ashe Stadium, Flushing Meadows, New York
Simona Halep barged into the semifinals of the US Open with a thrilling 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over Victoria Azarenka in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday. It was an excellent performance from Halep, who needed two hours and 40 minutes to oust the Belarusian. Halep, who recorded her first-ever victory against Azarenka, blasted 40 winners and won 70 percent of her first-serve points. What proved to be the difference in the match, however, was her highly-efficient play. Halep committed just 19 unforced errors in the contest, as opposed to Azarenka’s 42.
[sc:Other240banner ]Next up for Halep is a semifinal clash with Flavia Pennetta. The 23-year-old is just 1-3 against Pennetta in her career. Halep will take comfort in the fact, however, that she easily defeated Pennetta in their last encounter back in March. Halep eased past Pennetta in their last meeting at the Miami Masters, trouncing her in the round of 16 in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5.
For Halep to duplicate that feat this coming Thursday, she needs to continue her excellent play on the service end. She put into play 76 percent of her first serves against Azarenka. The Romanian took full advantage of that fact, winning 47 of her 67 first-serve points in the quarterfinals.
Flavia Pennetta booked a place in the final four of the US Open with a stunning 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 upset victory over the fifth-seeded Petra Kvitova on Tuesday. It was a remarkable performance from the Italian, who needed two hours and 23 minutes to hack out the marathon victory.
Key to Pennetta’s shocking win was her excellent return. She won 48 percent of her receiving points against Kvitova and converted six of her 16 break point chances. Her occasional forays to the net also paid dividends, as she won four of her nine net points against the Czech star.
The road to the championship will only get harder for Pennetta, though, as standing in her way in the semifinals is the in-form Simona Halep. The Italian will fancy her chances against Halep, as she has won three of her four previous meetings against the Romanian. In those four matches, Halep has managed to take just three sets against Pennetta.
For Pennetta to buck the odds and upset Halep in the next round, she will need to continue her precise play. She committed just 16 unforced errors in her quarterfinal victory against Kvitova. That’s almost a fourth of Kvitova’s output of 60 miscues. Pennetta is averaging just 14.8 unforced errors per contest in this tournament thus far.
Pennetta is 7-3 in her last 10 matches.
Writer’s Prediction
Halep (-380) edges past Pennetta in three nail-biting sets.
