SINGAPORE: Caroline Wozniacki kept her defence of the WTA Finals crown alive after she eliminated Petra Kvitova with a battling 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 victory in Singapore on Tuesday.
It was a must-win match for the 2017 champion Wozniacki and Kvitova following defeats in their opening matches to Karolina Pliskova and Elina Svitolina respectively.
“I played much better today,” said Wozniacki.
“Petra is so powerful so you have to stay on your game and stay focused. I always believe in myself and I had the belief to fight until the end.”
Denmark’s Wozniacki outlasted Kvitova in a lengthy exchange to break serve at 5-3 but the reigning Australian Open champion couldn’t complete the set on serve as a wide stroke kept Kvitova in touch.
The Czech world number five became more aggressive as she aimed to break again and steal the first set lead but Wozniacki went in front when Kvitova netted after a shaky service game.
Kvitova roared emphatically as the two-time Wimbledon winner rallied to a 3-1 second-set advantage before breaking again with a sensational sliced drop shot to force a crucial decider.
It was Wozniacki’s turn to break first as the 28-year-old world number three took charge leading 2-0 in the final set, and another break at 4-1 was enough to confirm victory in two hours and 19 minutes.
The result means the winner of the upcoming match between Pliskova and Svitolina will be the first to qualify for the semi finals from the white group.
MARATHON MATCH
On Monday, number eight seed Kiki Bertens overcame top-seed Angelique Kerber in a thrilling 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback victory.
In the marathon match, Bertens incredibly flipped the script after being a set and a break down. The Dutch player went for broke and ran the Wimbledon champion around the court to take control of the contest.
The third set started with six consecutive breaks before Bertens pulled away to cap off a memorable victory in just over two hours. Her aggressive approach saw her have a decisive 33-11 edge in winners.
“I had a slow start but I’m really happy to have turned this match,” she said after the match. “I had a chat with my coach (Raemon Sluiter) and we decided for me to go for my shots and play more aggressive.”
Kerber put the foot down early but rued missed opportunities in a topsy-turvy final set.
“I think that I dropped a little bit with my intensity,” she said. “In the third set I had so many chances and I couldn’t take it.”
Bertens qualified just days before the tournament after world number one Simona Halep pulled out due to injury, which bumped up Kerber to top billing.
— Agencies
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