NEWPORT BEACH, CA, USA - Stefanie Voegele will face home hope Madison Brengle in the Singles final at the 2020 Oracle Challenger Series Newport Beach presented by RBC Wealth Management, after the pair won Saturday semifinals in straight sets.
Voegele overcame powerful American Taylor Townsend 6-2, 6-3, holding off a second set recovery from her 23-year-old opponent.
"It was a very tricky situation," Voegele said. "I was up 3-0, 40-0 and didn’t make it and then it became only about a few points. She’s a very good player and doesn’t give a lot of rhythm so it was important to be concentrated."
The Swiss recovered her composure to take the final three matches and go through to a date with another American.
"I tried to play the right shots at the right moments," she added. "To be aggressive but not all the time. Not going for too much, but still going for it."
Voegele was also aware of the threat she will face in Sunday's showpiece.
And for the ladies 💫
— Oracle Challenger Series (@OracleChallngrs) February 2, 2020
It's the first meeting between tour veterans Stefanie Voegele and Madison Brengle, kicking off Championship Sunday at 10 a.m. PST.
Previewing the🇨🇭🆚🇺🇸 matchup 👇https://t.co/Hei9rhrB9s
"She is a really good mover and will get every ball," Voegele said. "There will be a lot of rallies, so it’s important that I try to be aggressive."
Brengle also suffered some belated difficulty in her semifinal victory, throwing away seven match points against Nadia Podoroska before breaking back to beat the Argentinian in a tiebreak, 6-4, 7-6(5).
"She was playing well, it wasn’t like I went there and hit the balls into the fence," Brengle said. “She came up with some really tough shots. Down 5-6, I played a really great game that reset me a little bit. And the tiebreaker was just a fight. We’d both been running a ton and I squeaked it out.”
Top seeds Hayley Carter, of the US, and Brazilian Luisa. Stefani took the Women's Doubles title, defeating Belgium's Marie Benoit and Jessika Ponchet, of France, 6-1, 6-3.