SANTA PONSA, June 24, 2017

Julia Goerges and second favourite Anastasija Sevastova will compete in Sunday’s final of the WTA Mallorca Open held at the Santa Ponsa Tennis Club.

Julia Görges (photo: Mallorca Open)

The unseeded German ended the fantastic run of US-American teenager Catherine Bellis, who appeared in the stage of the final eight for the first time, winning 6-1, 6-1. Goerges sent down six aces and and hammered 27 winners to advance in only just one hour of play.

“It just feels special overall, it doesn’t matter on which surface it is – it’s been a while!” said Goerges, who rolled into her first-ever WTA final on grass. “I just feel great on the grass here, it’s been a solid week for me. I’m very happy to be in the final. I just try to play every match as best as I can, and fight as much as I can.

“At the end of the day, I can say I’ve played four very good matches here so far and obviously, I’m very pleased to play the final tomorrow and going ahead to Wimbledon.”

Goerges will try to win her first title since Stuttgart 2011 against Sevastova. The tournament’s number two reversed the result of last year’s Mallorca Open final against Caroline Garcia of France, winning 6-4, 6-2. Sevastova won 79 per cent of her first service points and capitalized on four of her seven break point chances to advance in one hour and 13 minutes.

“I think I improve a lot since last year, I’m returning better, moving quite good and serving better,” Sevastova said. “That was a key – return, and try to get every ball – to be a wall. Maybe she didn’t get any rhythm, but I think I deserved to win. I was relaxed, because I was quite tired from yesterday…I’m feeling good on center court, I like the conditions here.”

Goerges is leading 3-0 in head-to-head records at WTA level. Their last meeting took place in Auckland 2013.