Coco puffs past Wickmayer into Stanford final

Coco Vandeweghe booked the first WTA final of her career Saturday with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 victory over fifth-seeded Yanina Wickmayer in the WTA hardcourt tournament at Stanford.

The lucky loser from last weekend’s qualifying rounds will face either top-seeded defending champion Serena Williams or Romania Sorana Cirstea in the title match.

Vandeweghe got into the main draw after a late player withdrawal and made the most of her opportunity. She beat former world number one Jelena Jankovic in the second round.

The 21-year-old American, coached this week by her mother, will rise to inside the top 75 as a result of her success here, according to the WTA Tour.

She hammered a dozen aces and broke experienced Belgian Wickmayer four times in the match which lasted just over two hours.At one tense moment Wickmayer drew a warning for swearing.

Vandeweghe said she was furious with herself when she crashed out of qualifying.

“I had a bad tennis day and paid for it,” she said. “But once I got into the main draw, I took advantage of my opportunities. “I stuck with my game plan, I served big and returned well this week.

AFP