WTA Finals semis: Former champs Sharapova and Kvitova clash

Sam Barnard, Assistant Sports Editor | October 30, 2015

WTA Finals semi-finals

Past champs Sharapova and Kvitova meet

After the intriguing round-robin pool stage, the WTA Finals now reaches the knockouts, with Maria Sharapova and Agnieszka Radwanska progressing past the Red Group, and Garbine Muguruza and Petra Kvitova from the White Group.

With top seed Simona Halep out, Spain’s Muguruza is the highest rank player left, and she faces Pole Radwanska for a place in the final, where they will meet one of previous winners of this event Sharapova or Kvitova.

Garbine Muguruza v Agnieszka Radwanska

Along with Sharapova, Muguruza won all three of her group games, losing only one set to Kvitova. Radwanska on the other hand only just scraped through her pool after claiming just one victory, so back the former odds-on at 8/15 for victory.

Poland’s Radwanska (6/4), though, boats the better experience in this competition in and this is now her third WTA Finals semi, although she has never made it to the final.

Despite that, Muguruza’s rise in the game has been astonishing, having got to number two in the world and being runner-up at Wimbledon this year. The 22-year-old has also won each of her last four meetings with Radwanska, having lost the first two, with three of them being in three sets so back her at a more enticing 11/4 price to triumph 2-1.

Venezuelan-born Muguruza is also the 7/4 tournament second-favourite, with Radwanska priced out at 11/2.

Maria Sharapova v Petra Kvitova

In the second semi, and perhaps the biggest in terms of trophies won – Sharapova with five Grand Slams and Kvitova two – two former WTA Finals champs go up against each other.

The Russian goes into this match as the 2/5 odds-on favourite after her 100 per cent start to the tournament and her 6-3 head-to-head record over the Czech, but she lost their last meeting which was in this event last year.

Kvitova (2/1) thrashed Sharapova 6-3 6-2 in the group stage on that occasion, and is 4/1 to win by that scoreline once more, but only managed to scrape through to her third semi with a little help from Lucie Safarova who beat Angelique Kerber.

If you fancy the Russian superstar to go all the way and win her first WTA Finals title since 2004, she is the 11/10 favourite, while 2011 champion Kvitova is the outsider at 6/1.

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Coral’s top tip: Murguruza has beaten Radwanska in their last four meetings, with three of them being in three sets, so back her to win 2-1 again at 11/4.