Cincinnati: Simona Halep has her third chance of the season to claim the World No.1 ranking after beating Sloane Stephens 6-2, 6-1 to reach the WTA and ATP Cincinnati Masters finals here, Saturday.
Second seed Halep will face Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza who crushed top seed Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-2 in the other semifinal, in the title battle.
Halep needed just 54 minutes to end the run of Stephens, who had enjoyed strong form following her return at Wimbledon after an 11-month absence with a foot injury.
Halep said she believed Muguruza, who beat American Venus Williams for her Wimbledon crown last month, is the favorite for the final. “I know that she has a lot of confidence coming with title from Wimbledon, so she’s favorite, in my opinion,” Halep said.
Muguruza had lost six successive matches to Pliskova, who made 28 unforced errors and ended the match when a forehand sailed long on the fifth match point. In stark contrast to two of her earlier matches in the tournament, Muguruza advanced to Sunday’s final in less than 80 minutes.
The second-ranked Halep tries to become the 24th different woman atop the list by winning Sunday’s final. “If it’s going to happen, great, but if not I will have more opportunities. Hopefully I can do it. I have the desire,” Halep said after her match. “I am so close. I really want that,” she added.
Halep, who hasn’t dropped a set all week, has already lost twice this year playing for the top ranking, falling in the French Open final against Jelena Ostapenko and the Wimbledon quarterfinal against Johanna Konta, each time after taking the first set.
“Maybe tomorrow (Sunday) is my turn. I have to give my best and fight and if I win it’s going to be really special. It’s a great opportunity. But for sure it’s going to be a tough match against a Grand Slam champion. It’s a big challenge. It’s a big match,” she pointed out.
Halep says while she is confident her rise to the top will come, she wants to win it for herself. “I know if I keep this level, it’s going to come. If not tomorrow (Sunday), maybe next weeks,” she said.
“I can keep hoping for that, but I don’t want to do that, actually. I want to win it… it’s going to be more special and nicer for me. My first goal was a Grand Slam title, and it’s still the first goal. But now being very close, it’s maybe the most important thing in this period.”
Sixth-ranked Spaniard Muguruza, seeking her fifth career title, is 2-1 against Halep with two hard-court wins but lost their most recent meeting in 2015 on Stuttgart clay.
At a glance
Simona Halep bt Sloane Stephens 6-2, 6-1
Garbine Muguruza bt Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-2
agence france-presse
