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The crowd in Bucharest had a chance to see two Romanian players in the semi-final action on Saturday, but will not be an all-Romanian final, as Julia Goerges spoiled the party. German took down Ana Bogdan by 3-6 6-2 6-4 in 2 hours and 20 minutes, reaching her 8th WTA final and the second in the last 3 events. Goerges served at only 46% but her first serve worked like a charm, winning 33 out of 39 points, and she managed to save 4 out of 8 break points.
On the other hand, she won 51% of the return points, creating 15 break chances and converting 6, raising her level significantly after a rather slow first set. Bogdan looked very strong in the first set, dictating the points on own serve and waiting patiently for the opportunity to score a break.
She did that in the 4th game, opening a 3-1 lead that she kept throughout the set, missing a chance to create an even bigger gap in game 6 when she had 2 more break points. Goerges recovered her game in the second set, moving 3-0 ahead with a break in game 2, and she converted her 4th break point in game 4 to build a 5-0 lead, as everybody started to prepare for a decider.
Bogdan saved 2 set points in game 6 to avoid the bagel, and she pulled one break back in the next game, reducing the deficit to 5-2. Julia wasted no more time to bring the set home, she broke again in game 8 for a 6-2, and the momentum was on her side before the start of the final chapter.
The third set saw 10 break points and 5 breaks of serve, as they pushed each other to the limits all the time. Goerges broke in the second game but she dropped serve in the following game, and the same happened in games 6 and 7, with Bogdan refusing to give up.
Nevertheless, she had to acknowledge the defeat in game 10 when Julia scored the crucial break at 15, booking the place in the title match. The 7th seed Irina-Camelia Bego prevailed over the 2nd seed Carla Suarez Navarro by 7-5 7-5 in 2 hours and 7 minutes, advancing to her 7th WTA final.
This was their 4th meeting, the first since 2014, and it was a very intense encounter, with 20 break points in total and 12 breaks. Begu was better on her first serve, Suarez Navarro kept her second serve more efficiently, and that brought two close sets, but it has to be said that Spaniard suffered more in her games, having to play against 13 break points.
Carla was off to a flying start, scoring two breaks for a 3-0 lead, only to lose her serve twice in a row, as Begu leveled the score at 3-3. They exchanged breaks in games 7 and 8 as well and the set was decided when Bego broke her rival again in game 12 when Suarez Navarro netted a forehand.
Carried by this outcome, Romanian raced into a 5-2 lead in the second set, with breaks in games 4 and 6, and she served for the win in game 9. Suarez Navarro made one last push to prolong the match, breaking at 15 to get back on the positive side of the scoreboard, but her efforts were in vain, as Begu broke again in game 12 to cross the finish line, converting her 4th match point to remain on the title course. Semi-final results:
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