Camila Giorgi advances to her first WTA final since last June after a semifinal win over the young Latvian, Jelena Ostapenko.
Tight First Set in Fifth Seed’s Favor
Giorgi and Ostapenko took to the Spodek Centre Court at the Katowice Open for the first semifinal. It would mark as their first career meeting. The match soon began and started on the Italian’s terms as she held to 30. A line-clipping backhand winner clinched the second game for Giorgi. But Ostapenko immediately arrived to two break-back points. The Latvian won her first game of the match when a Giorgi backhand seeped long. The fourth game lacked a single winner from either player and went in the favor of the two-time Katowice Open finalist.
But the third-seeded youngster refused to let the set slip away from her. With yet another backhand error from her fearless opponent inching long, Ostapenko grabbed her second break. The Latvian called for her coach, Vera Dushevina as she trailed 2-3. Suddenly the match was level again at three games apiece as Ostapenko held for the first time. Her relentless opponent denied her of a game lead. The 24-year-old Giorgi maintained a one-two punch tactic which seemed to earning her the short points.
Despite a strong service game in the eighth game, the Latvian had run out of answers for her hard-hitting, Italian opponent. A Giorgi ace vaulted her up 5-4 and within a game from the opening set. A sloppy game from Ostapenko concluded with a netted backhand off her racquet, handing the first set to Camila Giorgi.
Strong Serving Books Giorgi Spot in Final
The Italian ended the first set dominantly and began the second set with the same fire power. Her eleventh straight point put her up 1-0. But an Ostapenko hold followed, stopping the one-sided momentum. Giorgi continued to keep the points as short as possible which suits her aggressive game style. The following game ended with back-to-back ground stroke winners to seal the fifth seed’s hold. Her ability to change direction seemed to be too much to handle for her opposing competitor.
But this year’s Doha finalist came up with winners of her own which sparked a possible momentum shift. Although Ostapenko stayed strong from the baseline, Giorgi’s aggressively-placed ground strokes forced heaps of errors off the young guns racquet. Yet another demanding Italian hold left the feisty Latvian in agitation. The following game saw both players hold opportunities, but this time it was the number one seed to keep the set on serve on the second time of asking.
At three games apiece, the Ostapenko errors were compiling drastically. Giorgi held for a 4-3 lead in the second set. The Italian’s ripping returns stole the first break of the second set. She looked in command as she was only a hold away from her third straight Katowice Open final. On the number five seed’s second match point, an Ostapenko backhand return slid wide to book the Italian’s place in the final on Sunday.
Slovak Awaits Giorgi in Final
Camila Giorgi faced a Slovak in last year’s Katowice Open final. This year will be a repeat of last year's nationalities, except instead of Scmiedlova she will take on the in-form, experienced Dominika Cibulkova. Giorgi has won both of their previous meetings, but with both players playing fierce, fearless tennis, the final should be an intriguing, third-time affair.