2015 MADRID: Kvitova Ends Serena's 27-Match Win Streak; Kuznetsova Beats Sharapova

World #1 Serena Williams had her 27-match winning streak (25 in 2015) broken when she lost in straight sets 6-2 6-3 to Petra Kvitova in the Mutua Madrid Open semifinals. Kvitova beat Serena for the first time in 6 meetings. Interestingly, Serena was due to meet Kvitova last year in the same round when she was the defending champion and relinquished her title. Kvitova was then beaten by Maria Sharapova in the 2014 final.

Kvitova's win was not the only upset of the day, however, because Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Sharapova 6-2 6-4 in the other semifinal, setting up a final between the two 2-time major champions. This was a huge surprise because Kuznetsova had to survive 2 match points in a 3-hour slugfest with Lucie Safarova yesterday. so few gave the Russian a chance against a well-rested World #3.

 Kvitova leads Kuznetsova 3-1 in career meetings but won the last time they played at the 2014 French Open. However, Kuznetsova has a dismal 14-20 record in finals compared to her opponent's 15-5.

MadProfessah's pick: Kvitova.