Safarova Cruises Past Makarova To Book First Semifinal Spot
July 1, 2014 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Lucie Safarova became the first player in either draw to reach the semifinals at this year’s Wimbledon, defeating Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-1 to reach her first ever Grand Slam semifinal.
Safarova was in control from the onset and broke Makarova in her first service game as she raced out to a 3-0 lead in the opening set. From there on, each player held serve, leading to a 6-3 first set win for Safarova.
With the match still in the balance at 1-1 in the second set, the 22nd seeded Czech broke three straight times to start to run away with the contest. She reeled off five straight games to close out Makarova, capturing the victory in less than an hour.
Safarova cruised to the straight set victory, dominating all the major statistics. She converted 26 of 30 first serve points and picked up four break points while allowing none. The victory puts Safarova into the final four at a Grand Slam for the first-time in her career.
Standing in her way of a spot in the finals will be a compatriot, either sixth-seeded Petra Kvitova or Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova, who play later Tuesday. Kvitova won this tournament back in 2011, but Zahlavova-Strycova has already taken down Li Na and Caroline Wozniacki in what has been an unpredictable women’s draw.
