Zapopan, Sep 15 (IANS): Australian qualifier Olivia Gadecki has powered her way to her first career WTA final, defeating Colombia’s Camila Osorio 6-2, 6-3 in Saturday's semifinal In a stunning breakthrough week at the Guadalajara Open AKRON.
Standing in her way is Poland's No.5 seed Magdalena Frech, who earned her spot in the final after a gritty performance against No.4 seed Caroline Garcia.
Frech battled back from behind in both sets, ultimately triumphing 7-6(4), 7-5, to make her second WTA final of the year. The championship match between Gadecki and Frech will be a showdown of firsts, as both players chase their debut WTA singles title—and at the prestigious WTA 500 level no less.
Gadecki’s rise this week has been remarkable. Prior to the Guadalajara event, she had not won a tour-level match since January, and she entered the tournament ranked No.152 in the world. Her run to the final makes her the third-lowest-ranked player to reach a WTA final this year. If she claims victory on Sunday, she would become the lowest-ranked champion of 2024