World No.1 Serena Williams has made a rare stop at an International-level event and so far so good – the American has advanced to the finals of the Collector Swedish Open in straight sets against Klara Zakopalova, even though the third-seeded Czech, who had lost just 11 games en route to the semi, was projected to pose a greater challenge to the younger Williams sister, having beaten her once before on clay.
Williams won today’s semifinal 6-0 6-4 and will face eighth seed and home favorite Johanna Larsson to try to capture her first International-level title. Larsson earlier advanced with a 2-6 6-3 6-4 win over Flavia Pennetta and after the match, when asked whether she would like to play Williams or Zakopalova, she responded:
Hmm I’ll go with Serena.
Larsson played the Bastad semifinals last year and the final two years ago.
