Share

Babos topples Safarova to reach Quebec WTA final

Montreal - Third-seeded Hungarian Timea Babos edged top-seeded Czech Lucie Safarova 7-6 (10/8), 6-4 on Saturday to reach the WTA Quebec City final, where she'll take on Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck. 

Babos reached her second WTA final of the year, having captured her hometown title in Budapest with a win over Safarova in the final. 

On Saturday, Babos, ranked 63rd in the world, levelled her head-to-head record against Safarova at two wins apiece, holding firm in the face of Safarova's strong start and securing the match after an hour and 42 minutes. 

Babos was under pressure early as Safarova didn't drop a point in her first four service games.

The Hungarian wasn't as flawless, but never faced a break point herself and finally earned the first break chance of the match - a set-point at 6-5. 

Safarova saved it and they went to the tiebreaker, in which Babos again mustered the first set-point chance. 

But Safarova battled back, and held a set-point herself before Babos closed it out on her sixth opportunity. 

Babos gained the upper hand in the second set with a break for 4-3. Although she was unable to convert four match points on Safarova's serve, she wrapped it up in the next game. 

Babos will be seeking a third career title on Sunday against seventh-seeded Van Uytvanck, a 6-1, 6-2 winner over Germany's Tatjana Maria. 

Van Uytvanck reached the first WTA final of her career with a dominant performance that included winning nine straight games bridging the first and second sets. 

She broke Maria five times and saved the only break point she faced. 

The Belgian's dominance pushed the frustrated Maria into an increasing stream of unforced errors, that only made things easier for her 23-year-old opponent.


Results from the WTA tournament at Quebec City, Canada on Saturday (x denotes seeding):

Semi-finals

Tmea Babos (HUN x3) bt Lucie Safarova (CZE x1) 7-6 (10/8), 6-4

Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL x7) bt Tatjana Maria (GER x4) 6-1, 6-2

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE