MUTUA MADRID OPEN 2018 : WOMEN SEMI-FINALS

Women tennis is getting more exciting day by day. I really like most of the players on tour. We have a very special players like Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Caroline Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber, Sloane Stephens and so on.

Mutua Madrid Open started with the news that Serena Williams will not be competing due to she does not feel ready for herself after giving birth. Totally normal and understandable. As she is always the biggest threat to her opponents, I bet this news greatly accepted among players:)

Simona Halep: World No.1 is the defending champion here. I really love her style, her attitude. She really works on her game and I really wish her to win a major this year. Let's start with her scorecard here. She is comfortable on clay, her game is strong and enduring. First 3 rounds she defeated her rivals easily: Makarova, Mertens, Kr. Pliskova. As she is the champion of this tournament for the past 2 years and she is playing very good so far, I thought she would be on the final. But last night Halep was not good enough to pass Karolina Pliskova.

Karolina Pliskova: She has one of the most steady, solid and enduring game on tour. Her serves are great as her nerves. She is one of the cold-blooded, strong-minded player I have seen for years.  In the 3rd round, she beat very in form Sloane Stephens. After that, in Quarter finals she did not let Simona Halep to go further. As much as I love Simona Halep, it was a fact that Karolina Pliskova played better than her and she deserved this win.

Caroline Wozniacki: Caro has a great personality. She is talented and a hard-worker but she is also fun and enjoys life. After winning her first Grand Slam this year in Australian Open, I think she gets great confidence and feels much better about her game. Everybody knows that she is not so comfortable with clay court but she made it to the 3rd round here. Kiki Bertens defeated her in 2 sets. 

Caroline Garcia: I watched her at Porsche Cup earlier this year. She is very good player, improved a lot both mentally and pyhsically. She beat Carla Suarez Navarro from Spain. I am sure it is not easy to beat a Spaniard in Madrid. It shows how strong she is.

Petra Kvitova: I love Petra. She is a true inspiration for both sport and personal development. After stabbed in her racquet-hand, she may loose her focus. But she recovered and come back better. She is very important player for the tour. She faced young Daria Kasatkina who topped Garbine Muguruza in QF and passed her.

Maria Sharapova: She is indeed a star. Huge talent and excitement for the audience. It is always great to have her playing. This year she has no good results but she made it to the Quarter- Finals here. This is a very good sign for her. Especially before Wimbledon. In the Quarter-Final, Kiki Bertens created a huge trouble for her. Sharapova never easily let you go. Match took 3 sets but Bertens made it to the semi's. Kiki is on fire !!!

Victoria Azarenka: She was not playing on clay since Roland Garros 2016. She has personal problems regarding custody of her son. Finally she could travel to Europe and will join Wimbledon this year. Even her presence created a very positive wave for the game. She is always competitor and driven player. These qualities brings excitement with it. Although she passed the first round, she hit the Karoline Pliskova in second. Ooops!

Today's semi-final program :

Caroline Garcia - Kiki Bertens

Karolina Pliskova - Petra Kvitova

Let's make another prediction here for the final: Petra Kvitova- Caroline Garcia 

Who knows!!!

*Photos: (jtbankpragopen , mutuamadridopen instagram )