Tennis-Vondrousova ousts top seed Sabalenka to reach Berlin final
Tennis - Berlin Tennis Open - Steffi Graf Stadium, Berlin, Germany - June 21, 2025 Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova in action during her semi final match against Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
(Reuters) -Marketa Vondrousova powered past world number one Aryna Sabalenka 6-2 6-4 at the Berlin Open on Saturday to book a place in her first final since she won Wimbledon in 2023.
Czech Vondrousova controlled the tempo from the outset with surprisingly big serving on grass as she wrapped up the win in one hour and 20 minutes. She broke the Belarusian twice in the first set while saving both break points she faced.
The second set saw the players trade early breaks and Sabalenka saved two break points to stay in touch at 3-2, before the match settled into a rhythm at 4-4.
Sabalenka, who saved four match points against Elena Rybakina on Friday, could not repeat that escape as Vondrousova broke for 5-4 and served it out on her first match point with an ace.
"I feel like on grass you have to take risks, you know, and that was the point; I was like, okay, let's try. The match would continue otherwise, so you have to go for it. I was feeling really well today so, yeah, I'm just very happy," Vondrousova said.
"I didn't play for a long time, so I'm just so happy to be back healthy and so grateful to play these matches. When I saw the field, I was like, okay, let's try to win the first round, and now this is happening. So thank you guys for the support."
While Sabalenka struggled to find consistency, racking up 30 unforced errors, Vondrousova stayed measured and composed throughout, limiting her own tally to 12. She will play either Russian Liudmila Samsonova or Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu in Sunday's final.
Despite previous wins over Sabalenka, this was Vondrousova's first career victory against a reigning number one. Currently ranked 164, the Czech has battled injuries since July 2024 and entered Berlin unseeded after missing three months this season with a shoulder injury.
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)
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