De Gea completes remarkable U-turn, signs SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2015 SATURDAY, SportsSports new contract47 NEW YORK: Flavia Pennetta of Italy returns a shot to Simona Halep of Romania during their Women’s Singles Semifinals match on Day Twelve of the 2015 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center yesterday in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. — AFP Pennetta stuns Halep to reach final NEW YORK: Flavia Pennetta crushed Romanian sec- Saturday’s final. “Today I think I played really well.” up to the year’s final grand slam that included sec- into the second set as Pennetta broke again to take ond seed Simona Halep 6-1 6-3 to kick off a packed After rain forced officials to postpone the ond-round exits in Toronto and Cincinnati and a first- the early initiative before the feisty Romanian finally day of action at the US Open yesterday with an stun- women’s semi-finals by a day, the clash had an round loss in New Haven. “I just tried to play every began to push back breaking the Italian and surging ning upset that put the Italian into her first grand undercard vibe to it as it preceded the match featur- match the best I can from the first one. Try not to into a 3-1 lead. slam final. Pennetta, 33, entered the contest as the ing Williams, who is two wins away from sweeping think too much about the draw, just play match by One of the WTA Tour’s best counter punchers, clear underdog but the 26th seed showed her experi- the year’s four grand slams. match,” Pennetta said after her win. Halep tried to go on the attack but a calm Pennetta ence and was not overwhelmed on the big stage Pennetta, playing in her 49th grand slam, needed “I tried to be focused on what I have to do all the would not crack and swept through the next three having reached at least the quarter-finals at Flushing 59 minutes to get by Halep and secure a long-await- time when I get on the court and here I am, so I’m games to regain momentum and a 4-3 advantage. Meadows in six of the last seven years. ed berth in the final of one of the sport’s four blue very happy.” With the crowd still filing into Arthur Serving to stay in the match, Halep fought off one “It’s amazing. I didn’t think to be so far in the tour- riband tournaments. Aside from her US Open resume Ashe Stadium Pennetta grabbed the first break of the match point before her resistance collapsed, nament,” said Pennetta, who will play either compa- there was little to hint at a US Open final by Pennetta, match to go up 3-1 and then pulled away from an Pennetta finishing off her opponent with stinging triot Roberta Vinci or top-seeded Serena Williams in who by her own admission had an unimpressive run- out-of-sorts Halep. Halep’s problems followed her forehand winner. — Reuters.