Giorgi and Buzarnescu, who have never met each other, will bid to be the first from their country to reach a J&T Banka Prague Open final. Giorgi will start off as the favorite against Buzarnescu since the Romanian, who has a record of 12-13 against top 100 players, has rarely met a player like the Italian who hits the ball enough to even the rattle the top players.
Camila Giorgi knocked out the former finalist of J&T Banka Prague Open Samantha Stosur in an hour and 22 minutes (6-2 6-3) to reach the semifinal of the tournament after losing in its quarterfinals for the past two years (l. to Pliskova and Barthel).
Giorgi struck 23 winners against Stosur (a third of total points she won) and saved all three break points she faced in the quarterfinal, as opposed to getting broken six times during her wins over #26 Strycova and #151 Korpatsch, earlier this week.
This is Giorgi’s first WTA clay semifinal after five unsuccessful attempts, the latest of which came at Lugano last month (l. Sabalenka). Giorgi, the winner of one WTA title (2015 ‘s-Hertogenbosch), last reached a final in 2016 Katowice (l. Cibulkova).
Giorgi started the 2018 season with a semifinal run at Sydney (main draw debut, def. Radwanska, Kvitova, and Stephens). With one more win at Prague, the former world #30 will take her season clay win tally to eight, which will be her highest since 2012.
Mihaela Buzarnescu powers past the 2017 finalist Kristyna Pliskova to get a chance to play for her second career final on her 30th birthday. Ironically, she also won her quarterfinal match 6-2 6-3 in an hour and 22 minutes, same as Giorgi.
Buzarnescu broke the powerful Pliskova serve (seventh on the season ace list) three times out of the 11 break point opportunities. She started her maiden Prague stay with wins over German qualifier Lottner (6-1 7-5) and Brazilian #1 Haddad Maia (6-0 7-6).
At her second tournament of the year, the Romanian breezed past Cornet, Riske, and Tsurenko to get into her first WTA final at Hobart International, where she was one set away from claiming a tour-level title.
Tennis Prediction: Camila Giorgi
Odds: 1.66
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