Beatriz Haddad Maia defeated Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 7-6(7) in straight sets in their semifinal clash in Toronto yesterday, becoming the first Brazilian to reach a final in Canada in 25 years. Gustavo ‘Guga’ Kuerten last made it to the championship match in 1997.
She will be playing in her first WTA 1000 final today and has triumphed in 18 of her last 21 matches, including winning titles at the Nottingham Open and the Birmingham classic back in June.
In light of this, Pele, a legendary footballer who hardly requires an introduction, took to Instagram to congratulate the 26-year-old. The Brazilian wrote that it is encouraging to see more Brazilians succeeding in sports on a larger scale and that he would be rooting for her to win the title when she competes in the final.
Haddad Maia will square up against Simona Halep, a two-time Canadian Open champion, in the title bout. Halep holds a 2-1 advantage in their head-to-head, with the Brazilian defeating the former World No. 1 in their most recent clash at the 2022 Birmingham Classic semifinals.
“I know it will be a very tough battle but I’m going to enjoy it”- Beatriz Haddad Maia ahead of her final clash
After winning her semifinal match, the Brazilian spoke about her final opponent, Simona Halep, in her post-match press conference. She described the Romanian as a very “competitive player” and expressed her excitement for the match.
The world No. 24 continued by saying that, despite how challenging the final match would be, she would still enjoy it. She also revealed that she planned to play aggressively on the court and correct some of the mistakes she made during her previous encounter.
0 votes
