Krejcikova sets up Semifinal showdown after defeating Haddad Maia at San Diego

Barbora Krejcikova easily defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals of the San Diego Open.

The 4th seed Krejcikova had a smooth debut in the second round, defeating Anhelina Kalinina 6-3, 6-2, setting up a clash with the 7th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia. The Czech player led the head-to-head record 2-0, with their last encounter taking place at the Tallinn Open in 2022.

The Brazilian player overcame a challenging second-round match against the 21-year-old Marta Kostyuk, winning 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-2.

In the first set, the former French Open champion took an early lead with a break in the first game and then went up 2-0. Although Haddad Maia held her next service game, Krejcikova secured three consecutive games to lead 5-1. The Brazilian player showed resilience and won the next three games, including a break, narrowing the gap to 5-4.

However, Krejcikova defended her next service game and took the set 6-4. Both players were fairly even in their serving statistics, with a 59% first serve percentage for Haddad Maia and a 66% first serve percentage for Krejcikova.

In the second set, it appeared to be a straightforward affair for Krejcikova as she secured two consecutive breaks to take a 3-0 lead. Additionally, after the second game, 'Bia' called for a medical timeout due to discomfort in one of her legs.

However, Haddad Maia made a comeback in the match, breaking Krejcikova's serve to narrow the score to 3-2, and then both players held their serves. With the score at 5-3 in favor of the former world No. 2, a final break sealed the victory for Krejcikova, closing out the set 6-4, 6-3.

To secure a spot in the final, she will face the local world No. 43 Danielle Collins, with whom she has no previous match history. Collins advanced without any trouble, defeating the second seed Caroline Garcia 6-2, 6-3.