Serena Seeks 22nd Grand Slam Title Against Muguruza in French Open Finals
World number one and 21-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams defeated the unseeded Kiki Bertens 7-6(7), 6-4 Friday in one hour and 40 minutes to reach the finals of the 2016 French Open. Bertens got out to a 5-3 before Serena saved a set point to recover and force a tie-break. Serena is seeking her fourth Roland Garros title as she will meet Garbine Muguruza in the finals Saturday after her 6-2, 6-4 win over Australian Samantha Stosur. Serena is attempting to equal Steffi Graf's professional-era record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles.
Serena leads Muguruza 3-1 in four career meetings, but Muguruza's lone win came in Paris, when she beat Serena in the second round in 2014. The two also met in the finals of last year’s Wimbledon, a match Serena won 6-4, 6-4.
"The first set wasn't easy," said Serena of Bertens. "I needed to play better because she was playing very well, but I'm very happy to win today. Kiki has had a couple big wins in this tournament. Being in the semifinals of a Grand Slam and having nothing to lose just really makes a big difference."
Muguruza lost the first set of her French Open campaign, but has won 12 straight since. By reaching the French Open finals, Muguruza moves to number three in the WTA Women’s Singles Rankings, just 14 points shy of the number two spot.
"I'm very happy," said Muguruza. "This was a bit difficult to play because I wanted to win so much against Samantha. She's such a great tennis player. I succeeded finally, so it's a dream come true. I really feel good."
