Vera Zvonareva and Agnieszka Radwanska will meet in the final of the Premier-level Tokyo tournament. They are tied at 2-2 in head-to-head stats, but Radwanska won their last two matches and both were this summer (Carlsbad final and Toronto). On the other hand, Zvonareva, who will be No.2 in the world again if she wins the title, played 29 finals in her career, as opposed to Radwanska’s more modest seven.
The fourth-seeded Zvonareva clawed back from a 5-1 deficit in the first set against Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and ended up winning the semifinal match in straight sets 7-6(2) 6-0. At those 5-1, it was Kvitova’s serve and the Czech had three set points. However, Zvonareva’s key to success was to focus on her game and not worry about the score:
I don’t even remember being down 5-1 in the first set! I wasn’t really thinking about it at all. I was just trying to find my rhythm – I couldn’t find it in the beginning, and she was playing really well.
Despite the loss, Kvitova will make a Top 5 debut in the new rankings on Monday.
As for the semifinal between No.9 seed Agnieszka Radwanska and No.3 seed Victoria Azarenka, Radwanska first took the lead and looked to be close to a straight set victory at 6-3 4-2. However, Azarenka won four straight games and forced the third set. Still, Radwanska was the eventual winner, 6-3 4-6 6-2. (source: WTA Tour, photos: © Neal Trousdale)
Radwanska surprised all of us fans at Carlsbad. She had a shoulder injury that made her doubtful for the final, but still managed to beat Vera. She would be my pick this time.