MIDLAND -- Saturday's much-anticipated meeting between the last two Dow Corning Tennis Classic champions turned into a one-woman runaway. No. 1 seed Lucie Hradecka repeatedly hit 2008 champ Laura Granville with her best shot, firing away with two-handed heaters that blew by the American in a 6-1, 6-4 triumph.
In Sunday’s final, the Czech will play Elena Baltacha, a 6-3, 6-1 winner over Marta Domachowska.
Hradecka finished Granville off in 55 minutes with a second serve so strong that it ricocheted straight off Granville’s Babolat racquet and into the Stadium Court ceiling.
The semifinalists returned 35 minutes later as doubles partners, saving a match point to knock off the third-seeded team of Monica Niculescu and Meghann Shaughnessy and giving Granville (Chicago) a chance to add to her three Midland titles (2007 doubles, 2005 & 2008 singles).
“I’m really excited to be in the doubles final with Lucie,” Granville told a sold-out crowd following the doubles match. “I’m happy she played with me and I’m also glad that the fans got a better match.”
Better than her singles match against Hradecka, that is. After holding with an ace, the hard-hitting Hradecka cracked three backhand winners and a forehand winner to steal Granville’s opening service game.
Three more winners flew off Hradecka’s Wilson frame as she jumped out to a 3-0 lead. While Granville struggled with the slices that she’s hit well all week, Hradecka could do no wrong.
The defending champion ended a rally by bashing a clean inside-out forehand from the baseline to break Granville for the second time, and then landed another service winner to take the set.
“I didn’t play my best, but Lucie didn’t let me,” said Granville, who fell to 24-6 lifetime in Midland. “She came out hitting hard and I don’t think I’d seen that pace this tournament or in a long time.”
Granville made more strides to the net in the second set, holding her first three service games behind strong approaches and crisp volleys. But when the American serve-and-volleyed on Hradecka’s first break point of the set, she netted a ball that probably would have landed long.
Still, Granville had three chances to break back at 3-4 when she reached Love-40 on Hradecka’s serve. The Czech saved them with a service winner, an ace and a swinging forehand volley winner in succession. Granville lost her last nine return points overall, failing to reach the Midland singles final for a fifth time.
“Today, I served really good,” said Hradecka. “There was one game where it was Love-40 on my serve. I was trying to concentrate and put first serves in and I did.”
After teaming with Granville for a 6-3, 2-6, [12-10] doubles win, Hradecka talked about her fitness level. She’ll be playing her 10th and 11th matches since February 7 on Sunday.
“I don’t know if my opponent for tomorrow is here, so I am not tired and I am very fit,” Hradecka joked with the crowd. “Yes, I am tired because it was a tough match, but I think tomorrow I will be ready.”
For the first time in the 22-year history of the Dow Corning Tennis Classic there will be a Brit in the singles final. The third-seeded Baltacha has plenty of momentum heading into her match with Hradecka. She’s won 24 of her last 30 matches, boosting her career-high Sony Ericsson WTA Tour ranking 20 spots along the way.
Baltacha has not dropped a set or her serve in Midland this week, holding in all 32 of her service games, including the eight she won against Domachowska.
So what’s the secret to her serving success?
“You know, I haven't got a clue,” said Baltacha. “I've been working hard on my serve but it's not like it's a massive serve. I have been trying to vary it a lot… I think I've served well in key moments – at 30-all and 15-30. It's putting them under more pressure and I haven't been serving a lot of doubles. That helps as well."
Baltacha’s service statistics were stellar in Saturday’s semifinals: She made 32 of 48 first serves (66.7 pct.) and won 24 of the 32 points on her first serve (75 pct.). Those numbers were especially important considering Domachowska’s blistering second serve returns, which helped her upset No. 2 seed Vania King and save three match points against Anne Keothavong this week.
Early on, the numbers weren’t in Baltacha’s favor. Returning to open the match, Baltacha swung and missed on a blistering first serve from Domachowska, allowing the former world No. 37 to win the first game.
When Baltacha missed her first two first serves in the second game, Domachowska pounced on a pair of backhand returns to take a Love-30 lead. But Baltacha landed her first serve at Love-30 and hit a crosscourt backhand winner. She held by passing the Pole with a down-the-line backhand.
“I didn't start particularly well and she was hitting the ball very hard and very flat,” said Baltacha. “I could have easily went down 2-Love or 3-Love. It was good that I managed to hang in there with her in the beginning.”
Neither player flinched until the seventh game, when Baltacha earned a break point by stepping inside the baseline for an inside-out forehand winner. She broke when Domachowska missed a backhand long.
“I couldn’t find my rhythm the whole match and she played good,” said Domachowska. “I didn’t play my best game, so I didn’t have chances to win.”
Domachowska reached 30-all in Baltacha’s ensuing service game, and appeared to be in a winning position at the net, with Baltacha caught between the service line and baseline. But the Brit improvised, hitting a half-volley backhand that dipped below the Pole’s hitting zone and forced an error.
Baltacha held for 5-3 with a service winner and broke to win the first set when Domachowska hit a forehand into the net.
“At 3-3, she didn't play a great game and I broke,” said Baltacha. “Really, from there I settled down. I was serving well today and she was making more mistakes."
Baltacha broke open a 3-0 second-set lead by winning 12 of the first 13 points. Her only trouble on serve came when she served for a spot in the final at 5-1. When Domachowska earned her only three break points of the match, Baltacha quickly erased them with a forehand volley winner, an ace and a service winner.
The Brit raised her arms in celebration as one final Domachowska return sailed long, having avenged two lopsided losses to the Pole in 2007.
"I'm completely different,” said Baltacha, who could break the WTA Top 70 by winning the Midland title. “I think what kind of happened last year was that I'd been trying to break the Top 100 for such a long time that once I finally broke into the Top 100, it made me believe more in myself.
“From then, my results have been more regular. I think in the past, I've done really well one week and then nothing. So I've been more consistent and that's really beginning to show in my matches now. I feel that whoever I play, if I don't start well, I'll manage to get around it somehow or I'll go back to basics."
Championship Sunday begins at 1 p.m. with the singles final, to be followed by the doubles title match between Hradecka & Granville and Lilia Osterloh & Anna Tatishvili. Club seats are available for $35 with dining or $17 without. General admission tickets cost $12 for adults and $8 for children.