Wang gets no home comfort as Kasatkina earns Elite win TENNIS
▶ China’s top-ranked player beaten in three sets by top seed in Zhuhai
Top seed Daria Kasatkina overcame a stern test from Wang Qiang in the opening round-robin match at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai yesterday, outlasting the local favourite 6-1, 2-6 ,7-5.
Competing as a top-10 player for the first time, Kasatkina broke her opponent twice to claim the opening set.
But Wang, China’s top-ranked player, rebounded with a string of aggressive groundstrokes to force a decider.
The final set was a topsy-turvy affair with nine successive games against serve before Kasatkina finally held her delivery together to clinch the victory in just under two hours.
“For sure, [Wang] improved her game so much and we always have big, big matches,” Kasatkina said. “We never have, like, the easy one. Today we played another big match, so it’s more and more difficult to play against her.”
The 21-year-old Russian will next face American Madison Keys in Azalea Group, with a victory guaranteeing Kasatkina a spot in the semi-finals.
Third seed Aryna Sabalenka, the youngest player in the tournament’s four-year history at 20, battled past Australian Ashleigh Barty 6-4, 6-4 to top the Orchid Group.
The 20-year-old Belarusian came back from a break down in the second set to reel off four straight games on her way to a first victory in Zhuhai.
“I didn’t play some tournaments since a few weeks ago, so I was really missing tennis,” Sabalenka, who recorded her 46th match win of the season, said in her on-court interview.
“Today, I was running to every ball, trying to show my best game. So I’m so happy with this result.”
Sabalenka has shot up the world rankings from 39th to 12th place in just three months and was recently named WTA Newcomer of the Year.
Asked about her strong finish to the season, she said: “I didn’t expect to do this well, but now I am just enjoying it and trying to improve more and more. It’s a really good feeling.”
She looked the more confident of the two in the early stages, and the third seed her nerve to pull out her first two
Wang improved her game so much and we always have big, big matches. It’s more and more difficult to play her DARIA KASATKINA
aces to clinch the set.
Ninth seed Barty took the initiative in the second set, breaking in the fourth game, only for Sabalenka to break back in Barty’s two following service games.
The pair produced some thrilling base-line battles for the spectators at the Hengqin International Tennis Center, but Sabalenka turned the screw to see out the match in one hour, 26 minutes.
Sabalenka and Barty’s clash was their first round-robin match, with both yet to play eighth seed and world No 18 Caroline Garcia from France.
Barty said: “I’m disappointed not to come away with the win, but I’ll have another opportunity in the next few days to try and finish my season on a real high.”
Asked about the strength of the field in Zhuhai, the 2017 semi-finalist said: “It’s phenomenal. Last year was good, but this year’s another level.
“It’s really exciting for the women’s game. We have the top 20 players in the world this year who are fighting right until the end of the season, which is really positive.”
Elise Mertens needed just 66 minutes to defeat Estonian Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 6-1 and move to the top of the Rose Group, which also features Julia Goerges.
Next up for the Belgian, who suffered first-round losses at Wuhan, Beijing, and Moscow recently, will be the German defending champion. “I’ve never really played [Goerges] before,” Mertens said. “It’s going to be an interesting match for sure. She’s defending champion. She feels pretty well here on the court. The court fits to her.
“But I’ve got nothing to lose. I don’t have any points to defend or anything. I’ll just play freely. I’ve had a good year and she’s had a good year. Hopefully, it will be a real competitive match.”
The round-robin format will see the winners from each of the four groups advance to the semi-finals.