Kvitova to meet Bouchard in final

Petra Kvitova beat fellow Czech left-hander Lucie Safarova 7-6, 6-1 to advance to the Wimbledon final where she will meet Eugenie Bouchard who overcame match-point jitters to pound Romania’s Simona Halep 7-6, 6-2.

Kvitova, the only player born in the 1990s to have won a major title – here in 2011 – improved her record to 25-5 on the Wimbledon grass and she’s made at least the quarterfinals five years in a row.

“I know how (it feels) when you hold the trophy so I really want to win my second title here and I will do everything I can,” Kvitova said.

It was the first Grand Slam semifinal between two Czech women. It marked Kvitova’s 15th consecutive win against a left-hander and she beat 23rd-seeded Safarova – who was playing on Centre Court for the first time – for the sixth match in a row.

Later, Bouchard, the 20-year-old from Montreal, harried and chased Halep from the baseline, producing a series of forehand winners.

The match was interrupted three times. After four games Halep needed treatment on a sore ankle. Then in the tiebreak a spectator was taken ill in the sunshine and had to be led from the stand.

In the final set after Halep had saved the first match point, former junior Wimbledon champion Bouchard stopped to complain of a noise in the crowd. It took her five more nervy match points to complete victory and set up a meeting with 2011 champion Kvitova.