Wimbledon: Bouchard and Kvitova ready to go nuts at grand slam final

It was "a weird match with a weird ending" but all Eugenie Bouchard cared about was the split-second in which she saw Simona Halep's lunging service return spinning into the net.

It was the moment that confirmed her 7-6(5) 6-2 victory over the Romanian third seed at Wimbledon on Thursday.

"It's not a surprise for me. I expect good results like this. I totally feel like I belong. But I still have another match so it's not a full celebration yet," said the remarkably self-assured 20-year-old who is the first Canadian to reach a grand slam final.

Now she will face Petra Kvitova in the final, after the Czech beat Lucie Safarova 7-6(6) 6-1.

How do they match up?

Here's a quick comparison on the two finalists who have gone against all odds to get to Wimbledon finals.

	Kvitova	Bouchard
Age	24	20
Height	6-0	5-10
Weight	154	134
Rank	6	13
Career Money-x	$12,553,901	$1,738,730
2014 Money-x	$654,679	$1,233,624
Grand Slam Finals	1-0	-
Wimbledon Finals	1-0	-
Career Titles	11	1
Wimbledon Titles	1	-
2014 Titles	-	1
Career Record	322-144	160-84
2014 Record	24-10	36-13
2014 Record-Grass	8-0	6-1
Career Record-Wimbledon	25-5	8-1
Career Record-Grass	35-11	10-6
2014 Wimbledon
Matches	6	6
Opponents Avg. Rank	55.8	27.2
Three-Set Matches	1	-
Tiebreak Record	2-0	2-0

Table: Epoch Times

Will Bouchard win?

Bouchard has been on the fast lane to success since winning the junior title at Wimbledon in 2012.

In only her second year on the professional tour, she reached the semi-finals of the Australian and French Opens and is now a win away from living up her billing as the "next Maria Sharapova".

"I see it as a compliment to be compared to someone like Sharapova who has won five slams. She's a great champion," said Bouchard, who is seeded 13th this year, just like the Russian was when she captured hearts with her 2004 triumph.

Her calm and composed nature has helped her tremendously in trying situations, most recently against Halep where there were several distractions that stopped play.

Canada's Eugenie Bouchard returns to Romania's Simona Halep during their women's singles semi-final match on day ten of the 2014 Wimbledon Championships on July 3, 2014. Photo: AFP

Eugenie Bouchard of Canada reacts after defeating Simona Halep of Romania in their women's singles semi-final tennis match against at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in London July 3, 2014. Photo: Reuters

Can Kvitova win Wimbledon for the second time?

What Kvitova cared about after securing a spot in the finals was that she was now two sets away from shedding her one-hit wonder tag.

Kvitova has been displaying toughness and skills that she hasn't shown since she won Wimbledon in 2011. She hits the ball harder than most women players and cuts opponents down with her left-handed serve.

Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova serves to Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova during their women's singles semi-final match on day ten of the 2014 Wimbledon Championships on July 3, 2014. Photo: AFP

Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic (R) embraces Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic after defeating her in their women's singles semi-final tennis match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in London July 3, 2014. Photo: Reuters

Being the Wimbledon 2011 winner at the age of 21 has added extra pressure on her but the Czech player remains positive.

"These three years was really up and down... but I'm definitely ready for a final and I'm going to try the best," said the 24-year-old, who went from carefree wannabe to angst-ridden champion.

The finals will air on July 5, 9pm Singapore time.

- Reuters, Wall Street Journal, Epoch Times, YouTube