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Kiki Bertens dominates Goerges for Charleston title

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South Carolina: Kiki Bertens routed Julia Goerges 6-2 6-1 for the biggest victory of her career at the Charleston Open in South Carolina on Sunday.


The dominant Dutch 12th seed needed only 58 minutes to claim her fifth career title.


“It’s unbelievable. I’m so happy and proud,” Bertens said after winning her second match of the day.


The 26-year-old had defeated American Madison Keys 6-4 6-7(2) 7-6(5) while world number 13 Goerges beat Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia 7-6(5) 6-3 in earlier semifinal matches after rain had postponed play on Saturday.


The final was much easier for Bertens as she broke the German five times to score her second career win over her.


Goerges, who will become German number one on Monday, avoided a sixth break of serve by saving two match points late in the second set, but Bertens served out the match to love.


“I have to give credit to her because she played very solid,” said Goerges, who had won her last three WTA finals.


“She didn’t give a lot of mistakes, so I really had to work for every point, I wasn’t really able to play every point as tough as I did in the semifinals.”


In the semis, Bertens broke Keys eight times but had to save a match point. Keys led 5-4 in the third before the Dutch player rallied to force the tiebreak, which she won when Keys netted a backhand.


The Georges-Sevastova match had been suspended because of Saturday’s rain with the score 4-4 in the first set.


When play resumed on Sunday, Goerges took the first set in a tiebreak before going on to reach her seventh final in the past 12 months.


Goerges hit 45 winners, almost twice as many as Sevastova’s 23 but the Latvian still had her chances, only managing to convert one of 14 break points. — Reuters


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