Eugenie Bouchard became the first Canadian to reach a grand slam singles final on Thursday when she defeated Romania’s Simona Halep in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
The 20-year-old world number 13 beat the third seed and French Open runner-up 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 and will take on Czech sixth seed Petra Kvitova, the 2011 champion, in Saturday’s final.
Tall, blonde Bouchard, a marketing dream for the women’s game with her photogenic looks, athleticism and confident, positive demeanour, will also rise to number seven in the world rankings, the highest position ever achieved by a Canadian player.
Earlier, Kvitova swept into her second Wimbledon final with a 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 victory over fellow Czech and close friend Lucie Safarova.
Kvitova won her only grand slam title at Wimbledon in 2011 and the sixth seed is one more victory away from lifting the Venus Rosewater dish for the second time after seeing off 23rd seed Safarova with 24 winners and eight aces in 80 minutes on Centre Court.
The 24-year-old is back in a grand slam final for the first time since that surprise triumph against Maria Sharapova at the All England Club three years ago.
“It’s great, definitely. I have a lot of emotion from this match,” Kvitova said.
“It was a tough match mentally because she is good friend of mine and we know each other well on and off the court. I knew she would play her best tennis and she did. Happily I won.
“I tried to be focused in the tie-break then I broke early in the second set and served well after that.”
As the only former grand slam winner left in the women’s tournament, Kvitova knows she has a glorious opportunity to finally get her hands on some significant silverware again.
“I know that feeling when you have the trophy,” she added. “I really want to win my second title and I will do everything I can on Saturday.”
Kvitova has been in fine form over the past fortnight, dropping just one set en route to the final and was playing in her third Wimbledon semi-final.
In contrast, Safarova, 27, was making her grand slam semi-final debut at the 37th attempt.
Kvitova, the only player born in the 1990s to win a grand slam title, knew it would be tricky to face one of her closest friends in the first all-Czech grand slam semi-final.
But she had already dispatched compatriots Andrea Hlavackova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova earlier in the tournament, and managed to keep her emotions in check long enough to get the best of her Fed Cup team-mate as well.
