Big-serving Kenin upsets Cornet to reach Hobart final
HOBART: Big-hitting American youngster Sofia Kenin reached her first WTA final when she stunned sixth seed Alize Cornet 6-2 6-4 at the Hobart International on Friday. In windy conditions, unseeded Kenin kept her composure to land 77 percent of her firstserves in play and broke her French opponent four times en route to a convincing victory.
Cornet was Kenin’s third seeded victim of the tournament after recording upsets of top seed Caroline Garcia in the opening round and seventh seed Kirsten Flipkens in the quarter-finals.
Kenin, who has not dropped a set this week, will meet Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in Saturday’s final after the Slovakian outlasted Swiss Belinda Bencic 7-6(2) 4-6 6-2 in a 2-1/2 hour encounter. The 24-year-old Schmiedlova fired 42 winners to move into her fifth career WTA final, where she will be seeking her fourth title.
BARTY CONTINUES RUN
SYDNEY: Ashleigh Barty continued her strong run at the Sydney International with a semifinal win over Kiki Bertens, beating the Dutch player 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-5 Friday. Barty withstood 15 aces from Bertens in the 2-hour, 18-minute match to advance to her second consecutive final in Sydney.
She will play two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova or Serbian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich in Saturday’s final.
After beating 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the first round, Barty has defeated No. 1 Simona Halep, the 12th-ranked Elise Mertens and Bertens.
FIRST FOR NORRIE
AUCKLAND: British No 2 Cameron Norrie reached his first ATP Tour final after beating German Jan-lennard Struff 7-5 4-6 6-3 at the ASB Classic in Auckland on Friday. Norrie, who grew up in Auckland and represented New Zealand before switching allegiance to Britain in 2013, saved eight of 10 break points he faced in a intense semi-final against Struff, which lasted nearly two hours.