Kvitova, Bouchard prove semi tough

LONDON — It was “a weird match with a weird ending,” but all Eugenie Bouchard cared about was the split-second in which she saw Simona Halep’s lunging service return spinning into the net.

It was the moment that confirmed her 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory Thursday over the No. 3 seed at Wimbledon.

More important, she became the first Canadian, man or woman, to reach a Grand Slam final.

The fact that she had set a date with 2011 champion Petra Kvitova in an arena she calls the “Temple of Tennis” should have sparked some joyous celebrations. But there were no tears, leaps of joy or sinking to the knees.

“It’s not a surprise for me,” Bouchard said. “I expect good results like this. I totally feel like I belong. But I still have another match so it’s not a full celebration yet.”

It was a sentiment shared by Kvitova after she came out on top in the other semifinal by subduing Lucie Safarova 7-6 (6), 6-1.

“Still one more to come. I want to be focused on that now,” said the sixth-seeded Kvitova, whose career had plateaued somewhat since her breakthrough win at Wimbledon three years ago.

Following the excitement of the previous 48 hours, when Rafael Nadal and defending men’s champion Andy Murray departed, Thursday’s matches seemed anticlimactic.

Neither contest was a blockbuster, but that mattered little to Kvitova or Bouchard. What Kvitova cared about was that she was now two sets away from shedding her one-hitwonder tag.

“These three years was really up and down, but I’m definitely ready for a final,” she said.

Since that 2011 triumph, very little has changed in Kvitova’s life.

Bouchard, in contrast, has been on the fast lane to success since winning the junior title at Wimbledon in 2012.

In her second pro season, she reached the semifinals of both the Australian and French Opens.

“I’m waiting for a big moment to go nuts,” she said.