The semi finals were contrasting matches, pitting big hitters against counter punchers. One of each type of player came through.
(Rank/Seed)
1/1 Williams ploughed through 2011 champion (4/3) Radwanska 62 62 for a 7th time in as many meetings to reach her first Beijing final since she won the title in 2004. Williams continually put Radwanska's second serve under pressure, contributing to a rare five double faults from the Pole. Even when she seemed to struggle with a back injury, Williams continued to blast winners from all over the court (31 in total) whilst only facing one break point all match, saving it with an ace.
11/8 Jankovic battled through a strange encounter with (7/9) Kvitova 67(7) 61 61, snapping the Czech's 8 match winning streak for her 1st win in 3 meetings. The first set saw Jankovic miss out once again on a set point as she twice failed to serve out the set and was then bested in the breaker, Kvitova hitting her 22nd winner on her 3rd set point. However, from there on in Kvitova tired dramatically, no doubt due to her many three set battles, hitting only 9 winners over the course of the next two sets. Jankovic reacted surprisingly well to losing the first set, hitting some fantastic serves and backhands particularly as she controlled play. Jankovic's chances of reaching the WTA Championships now look incredibly good as she moves into her biggest final since Indian Wells 2010, her 3rd final here in Beijing.
Williams is looking to win her 10th title of the year tomorrow, the 56th of her career. Jankovic in contrast is looking for only her 2nd title of the year, the 14th of her career. Williams leads the head to head 6-4 with Jankovic, beating her in all 3 finals they've played. However, Jankovic is the only active player aside from Venus Williams to have ever beaten Serena this many times and extended her to three sets in the final of Charleston this year. If Serena is struggling with an injury, Jankovic could very well deal Serena her 5th loss of the year but if not, Williams will be overpowering and win the match.
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