Bianca Andreescu reached her first final in more than a year after Simona Halep retired before her semi-final match at the Bad Homburg Open in Germany on Friday with a neck injury.
In his first turf final, Andreescu will play Caroline Garcia on Saturday.
“I’m sorry I had to retire today before my semifinal match,” Halep wrote on Instagram. “But unfortunately I woke up this morning with my neck blocked and that doesn’t allow me to do the best I can.”
Andreescu, 22, beat first seed Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.
MIRAR | Andreescu eliminates the first Kasatkina sowing in Germany:
Andreescu eliminates the first seed Kasatkina to reach the semifinals in Bad Homburg
Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ontario, defeated Russia’s Daria Kasatkina, 6-4, 6-1 to reach the semifinals of the Bad Homburg Open in Germany.
The Canadian’s last title win was her big win at the 2019 U.S. Open, when she beat Serena Williams. His last final was against Ash Barty in Miami in April 2021, when he retired with an ankle injury.
Andreescu, who took some free time to regain strength and work on his mental health, missed the Australian Open before returning to the tour in April.
While the Canadian was able to rest and prepare for the final, Garcia had to spend nearly three hours on the court to beat fellow Frenchman Alize Cornet 7-6 (9), 3-6, 7-5.
Garcia saved the match point at 5-4 in the deciding set before winning the next three games as Cornet struggled with an apparent injury to his right leg that limited his movement.
Andreescu and Garcia have not met before.