Top seed Sabine Lisicki hit 12 aces and used up 70% of break opportunities to her opponent Francesca Schiavone’s mere 28%, thus reaching the final of the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open. The German won the entertaining encounter, featuring long rallies and fun points, including a tweener, with the score 6-3 3-6 6-2. Her opponent in the final of the $250,000 tournament will be third-seeded Karolina Pliskova, who stopped the run of Alison Van Uytvanck 6-1 4-6 6-4 in the semis. Pliskova has also reached the doubles final with her twin sister Kristyna.
Lisicki, the proud owner of the WTA’s fastest serve ever will have to keep that aspect of her game on a high level if she wants to continue her perfect record against Pliskova.
I have beaten her twice before this year but she is serving well so I will have to make sure my own serve is in order and take her weapon away.
Regardless of the outcome of the final, we will remember this inaugural Hong Kong event by extreme heat and rain and our finalists have handled it well.
Meanwhile in Uzbekistan, Bojana Jovanovski failed to defend her Tashkent Open title, falling to Italy’s Karin Knapp 6-2 7-6(4).
