Serena to face Muguruza in French Open final

World No.1 Serena Williams emerged victorious after a difficult semi-final encounter with Kiki Bertens, saving set points to win 7-6(7), 6-4 and reach her fourth French Open final here on Friday.

Top-seeded Serena was not at her best for the second consecutive match. She fell behind early making 22 unforced errors in the first set. She faced two set points from the 58th-ranked Bertens in the opening set but managed to saved them and gradually gained momentum.

Serena would capture her third victory in four years here if she wins in the final.

Earlier, No.4 seed Garbine Muguruza lost the first set of her semi-final campaign but avoided a minor hiccup to beat No.21 seed and 2010 runner-up Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-4.

She become the first Spanish woman to reach a Roland Garros final since Conchita Martinez in 2000.

Stosur was playing her first Grand Slam semi-final since 2012, but had won her only previous meeting with Muguruza and had overcome a left wrist injury to play solid tennis over the likes 2014 and 2015 finalists Simona Halep and Lucie Safarova, respectively.

Muguruza promptly raced out to a 4-0 lead in the opening set. The Aussie eventually got her bearings to get on the board, but the Spaniard was already too far ahead, and took a one set lead in 33 minutes.

The second set was more of the same as the 2015 Wimbledon runner-up displayed an efficient clay court game, serving two aces to reach match point, winning in one hour and 16 minutes.

--IANS

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