Angelique Kerber beat Yanina Wickmayer 6-7 6-3 6-4 in a hard-fought victory in the Paris Open semi-final this afternoon.
Kerber started the first set as the stronger of the two and broke serve early to race into a 3-0 lead. Wickmayer composed herself to get back into the set and broke serve herself to bring it level at 3-3.
Both players displayed fantastic ability as the match became far more even. The set eventually went to a tie break, highlighting how close it had become. The Belgian dominated the tie break, beating Kerber 7-2 to take the first set 6-7.
The second set went by way of serve until Kerber broke, and the German then raced into a 5-1 lead. Wickmayer struggled throughout the set before breaking back to make it 5-2. Kerber eventually saw out the set to take it 6-3 and force the game into a third and final set.
The third set started out as a tight affair with both players breaking serve. However, Kerber broke away to take a 5-3 lead against the Belgian. The set finally ended 6-4, the German winning the semi-final
Kerber will now head into the final to face Marion Bartoli tomorrow.
Sam Hughes
