Tennis-Dominant Garcia pushes past Sakkari to WTA Finals championship match

(Reuters) – A red-hot Caroline Garcia cruised past Greek Maria Sakkari 6-3 6-2 to reach her first WTA Finals championship match on Sunday, sending over 19 winners and a half-dozen aces in Fort Worth, Texas.

The U.S. Open semi-finalist will be well-rested when she next faces either Aryna Sabalenka or three-time major winner Iga Swiatek Monday, closing out the semi-final against the world number five in a cool 75 minutes.

The Frenchwoman needed three sets and everything in her arsenal to beat Sakkari in Cincinnati three months ago but showed no such issues at the season-ending tournament, breaking the Greek to love late in the first set before carrying the first four games of the second.

A clumsy double-fault handed Sakkari a sorely needed break point chance in the sixth game but Garcia extinguished it instantly with an ace and the usually tough-fighting Greek never got a share of the momentum.

Garcia thrust her hands into the air as Sakkari whacked the ball into the net on the second match point and after customary handshakes she bounded around the court in utter joy, having reached the biggest final of her career.

Sabalenka and world number one Swiatek were set to play later on Sunday.

(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Sam Holmes)