Siegemund ousts Halep to return to Stuttgart final
There will be a partisan atmosphere at the Stuttgart Open final after Laura Siegemund booked her place with a 6-4 7-5 win over Simona Halep.
OMNISPORT
Laura Siegemund will have the chance to assuage the disappointment of last year's Stuttgart Open final defeat after defeating Simona Halep on Saturday.
Siegemund was beaten by compatriot Angelique Kerber in the 2016 final, and this time will go up against Kristina Mladenovic - conqueror of Maria Sharapova - following this 6-4 7-5 success over fourth seed Halep.
Both women struggled to hold throughout this topsy-turvy affair, which saw 14 breaks of serve in 22 games.
With the home crowd firmly behind her, Siegemund made a rapid start and raced into a 4-0 lead in the first, before a superb backhand down the line set up two set points at 5-4.
The German only needed one, however, another rasping return - this time on the forehand side - pressuring Halep into going long.
The pattern of regular breaks continued in the second set, Halep moving 5-3 ahead with a decider looking increasingly likely.
But Siegemund found some of the form that had served her so well at the start of the match and reeled off four successive games, sealing her date with Mladenovic with a booming backhand return that Halep could only hit into the net.