Semis Completed: Sharapova vs. Kvitova in Final

I like women's tennis. I really do. But today's semifinals were, to no one's fault in particular, for lack of a better term, flat. We'll have a post up later that will talk about that more in depth, but the final for the Ladies' Singles Championship is set. Petra Kvitova will face 2004 champion and 3 time major winner Maria Sharapova on Saturday. After the jump, we'll look at each match individually.
Ladies' Semifinals

Petra Kvitova def Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 3-6, 6-2
In the preview that never actually got published (Thanks Blogger!), I noted that Kvitova's serve would be crucial and whoever took the initiative in each rally would be the winner. That was clearly Kvitova's match today, and she played extremely well. The first set was an absolute rout, and it seemed that Azarenka was pulling a disappearing act in front of 14,000 people in the grandest stage in tennis. She woke up a bit in the second set, and was able to win 6-3, despite only hitting one winner. Kvitova's level of play dropped, but watching it, you had the feeling that if she could tighten up her game a bit, the third set was hers. Azarenka simply didn't have her best stuff today, and Kvitova raced out to a 4-1 lead in the third. it did get tricky, as Kvitova did get broken, but then she righted herself immediately and put Azarenka away. This is a great opportunity for Kvitova to win her first major.

Maria Sharapova def. Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 6-3
Things looked extremely promising for Lisicki early, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and had a break point for 4-0. As quickly as that lead was achieved, it was even more quickly dissolved. Sharapova found her range and Lisicki's level of play dropped a bit, and Sharapova won 6 of the last 7 games in the first set. To make matter worse for Lisicki, Sharapova increased her level of play an extra bit and jumped out to a 4-0 and then 5-1 lead in the third. It looked, for all intents and purposes as if this match was over, but Lisicki, to her credit, fought bravely and broke Sharapova, making her serve for the match at 5-3. Sharapova did, and closed out the match. This was an excellent match for Sharapova for a few reasons. First, her serve, while shaky at times, was very effective today. After those first three games, she also dominated the baseline rallies, not allowing Lisicki to take charge of many points. her backhand was especially on today, and when she sensed Lisicki's level drop, she pounced on it, running away with the first set and controlling the second set thoroughly. Having been here before, having won 3 majors already, and playing the best tennis she has played in a long time, she has to be the favorite in the final on Saturday.