PLISKOVA THE FIRST TO REACH SEMIS OF WTA FINALS
Kerber downs Osaka in battle of Grand Slam winners
SINGAPORE: Karolina Pliskova became the first woman to advance to the last four of the WTA Finals when the big-hitting Czech put on a controlled display to defeat compatriot Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-4 in their final round robin encounter.
The former world number one will be joined in the last four by either Elina Svitolina (2-0) or defending champion Caroline Wozniacki (1-1), who complete White Group play at the Singapore Indoor Stadium later yesterday.
Kvitova (0-3) had lost her opening two matches and knew that only a straight sets victory would give her any chance of advancing but Pliskova (2-1) stayed calm and focused to record a first win over her compatriot in four attempts.
“I cannot be more happy right now. It was a good match and she’s a great player. She has always beaten me in the past but I knew I had a chance as I have been playing well,” Pliskova said in a post-match interview.
“I’m not thinking about the next match yet, I’ll do what I can to recover first. Before the tournament, I said to myself that I want to enjoy it and I will contin- ue to do just that.”
Kvitova needed to make a fast start to put her opponent under pressure but the double Wimbledon champion lacked movement and coughed up a slew of double faults to fall 4-0 down in the blink of an eye as Pliskova pounced on every opportunity.
Slowly but surely, Kvitova worked her way back into the contest, rallying twice from 40-0 down to win back-to-back games in the middle of the set that finally gave Pliskova something to think about.
Pliskova’s coach Rennae Stubbs urged her to “stay disciplined” in the next changeover and the Czech heeded the advice to curb her attacking instincts as she ended Kvitova’s tournament by holding serve to take the opener in 41 minutes.
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 number eight battled back brilliantly to book her semi-final place.
In the late match, Ukraine’s Svitolina will advance if she wins one set against Wozniacki, who needs a straight-sets triumph to continue her title defence.
On Wednesday, Angelique Kerber produced a dogged display of defensive tennis to tame big-hitting Naomi Osaka 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in a classic Red Group encounter between the winners of the last two Grand Slams at the WTA Finals.
And in another late match, Sloane Stephens continued her dream debut at the eight-woman event when the American moved to the brink of the semi-finals after she rallied for a 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-3 victory over fellow tournament rookie Kiki Bertens.
Kerber’s victory evened up her record at 1-1 in round robin play as Osaka slumped to her second straight defeat, leaving the US Open champion needing to beat Bertens in her final group match to have any hope of advancing.
The early match began tentatively with three consecutive breaks of serve falling in the German’s favour as Osaka looked to dictate with her power, while Kerber was content to counter-punch off the back foot and keep the ball in play.
Osaka, who was often battling to keep her emotions in check, fashioned five break points when Kerber served for the set at 5-4 but the German was able to stave off all of them with some gutsy tennis and sealed the opener with a booming serve.
Osaka’s inability to make the most of her potent serve looked to have cost her the match when she was broken to love in the ninth game of the second set but she then reeled off three games in a row to level the contest.
The third set was a war of attrition with both players stretching every sinew to hold serve until Osaka cracked first in the seventh game, gifting Kerber the crucial break with a slew of poor shot selections from 40-15 ahead.
The break was enough for Kerber to seal a brilliant win, with Osaka crushing a backhand into the net on the German’s first match point.
“I had my chances in the second set but she played some unbelievable tennis to win that one, and it felt like there was only one or two points in the decider,” Wimbledon champion Kerber said in a post-match interview.
“It was great to win such a great match and to be able to look forward to another one in two days from now.”