Svitolina, Pliskova in Singapore semifinals

ELINA Svitolina produced one of the best performances of her career to overcome defending champion Caroline Wozniacki 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in a pulsating round robin encounter last night and reach the last four of the WTA Finals in Singapore with a spotless 3-0 record.

Earlier, Karolina Pliskova became the first woman to advance when the big-hitting Czech curbed her attacking instincts to beat compatriot Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-4 and record her second win against a single loss in White Group play.

By winning her opening two matches, Svitolina only needed to take one set off the Danish world No. 3 to advance and after playing so brilliantly all week, the Ukrainian proved equal to the task.

“It was an amazing match as Caroline always brings the best out of you, to really push yourself, so I have to thank her for making me push my limits,” Svitolina said in a post-match interview after handing Wozniacki her second loss of the week.

Wozniacki nearly pulled off the straight-sets victory, which would have given her a place in the semifinals instead. But she squandered two game points in the final game of the second set and then sent a backhand long on a fifth-set point for Svitolina.

Kvitova, meanwhile, had lost her opening two matches and knew that only a straight-sets win would give her any chance of advancing, but Pliskova stayed calm and focused to record a first triumph over her compatriot in four attempts.

The double Wimbledon champion needed to make a fast start to put her opponent under pressure, but Kvitova lacked movement and coughed up a slew of double faults to slip 0-4 behind in the blink of an eye as Pliskova pounced on every opportunity.

The loss of the opening set appeared to free up Kvitova’s booming forehand and she feasted on Pliskova’s tentative start to the second set to race to a 3-0 lead, but the world No. 8 battled back brilliantly to book her semifinal place.