Linda Noskova is one win away from her first grass-court title after beating Alexandra Eala 6-2, 6-4 in 69 minutes at the Berlin Open Tennis event on Saturday. The 21-year-old Czech did it without dropping a set through four matches in Berlin, a run that now carries her into Sunday's final against Jessica Pegula.
Noskova said she was “just feeling really comfortable on court” after the match, and the numbers backed her up. She hit 33 winners, served nine aces and made only 15 unforced errors, while winning 29 of 35 first-serve points and breaking Eala five times on six chances. Eala, who was trying to slow the pace after a one-sided meeting between the two earlier in the season at Indian Wells, made the second set far tighter by moving ahead 4-3 after three straight games. Noskova answered with three straight of her own to finish it off and improve to 2-0 against her.
The win sent Noskova into the seventh WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz final of her career, with a second career title, a second WTA 500 crown and a Top 10 debut all still on the table if she wins on Sunday. It also sets up a final against Pegula, who beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-7, 6-0 earlier in the day to reach the title match.
For Noskova, the clean march through Berlin matters as much as the destination. She had never reached a grass-court final before this week, and now she has done it while holding firm under the only real pressure she faced all day. She is also through to the doubles semifinals with Ekaterina Alexandrova, leaving her with more than one chance to leave Berlin with silverware.
