Li Na and Petra Kvitova both won their first and only Grand Slam titles in 2011 and both are still without titles this season. However, that will change in Montreal today, when one of the two will lift the Rogers Cup winner’s trophy. They both advanced to the final after losing the first set of their semifinal matches.
Li rallied from 5-1 down in the third set to beat Lucie Safarova 3-6 6-3 7-5, who will finally crack the Top 20. In the other semifinal, Kvitova comfortably outplayed Caroline Wozniacki in the second and third sets, even though in the first set she could not put up a challenge to Wozniacki’s only one unforced error. Final score: 3-6 6-2 6-3.
Who will finally crown 2012, Li or Kvitova? Li leads Kvitova in head-to-head 2-1. Kvitova won their first encounter handily, while the other two Li won in three sets. Their last meeting was this year on the Sydney hardcourt, and Li won 1-6 7-5 6-2 after trailing 6-1 3-1. (photos: sr_cranks, Ralf Reinecke)
