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Kerber defeat dashes hopes of Wimbledon final

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Kerber defeat dashes hopes of Wimbledon final
Photo: DPA

Whispered German hopes of a place in the Wimbledon tennis final for the first time since Steffi Graf got there in 1999 were dashed on Thursday when Angelique Kerber lost the semi-final.

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The 24-year-old’s winning streak came to an abrupt end at the hands of world number three Agnieszka Radwanska. Her 6-3, 6-4 victory against the German makes Radwanska Poland’s first grand slam singles finalist since 1968.

“We were both a bit nervous,” said Radwanska, who will now face either defending four-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams or Australian Open winner Victoria Asarenka from Belarus in Saturday's final.

“We’ve known each other since we were small. My family also comes from Poland. We talk Polish together and are good friends,” said Kerber before the match.

After a strong start, Kerber was ahead 3:1, but became inconsistent as the match wore on. Radwanska’s error-free play secured her the first set. In the end, Kerber was unable to recreate the aggression and drama of her quarter final performance against fellow German Sabine Lisicki.

Fed-Cup Team leader Barbara Rittner said Radwanska played a “perfect match” and was “a good touch better than Angie.”

Kerner met her idol Graf on Wednesday as the former champ dropped into Wimbledon briefly. But her star power did not rub off and Kerner failed to follow in her footsteps.

Had she won on Thursday, Kerner would have been the first German player to reach the Wimbledon final since Graf’s defeat against American Lindsay Davenport in 1999.

DPA/The Local/jlb/

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