After some thrilling matches in the ongoing WTA Finals, the table has already been set in the semis where we’ll get to determine who is number one in the world of women’s tennis.
The top players from the Red and Purple Group have all booked their spots to the Final Four after stringing together a couple of important wins against their respective counterparts.
The WTA committee has released a schedule today where the top-ranked Ashleigh Barty will get to face the second-seed in Karolina Pliskova while defending champion Elina Svitolina takes on the debuting Belinda Bencic. The matches will start later in the evening.
Exciting matches are in store for us and we are in for a huge treat. But we before we get into the upcoming matches, allow SBOBET to give you a quick recap of the previous group stage matches.
Kiki Bertens’ run comes to an end
In what was an unfortunate development for our WTA Finals 2019 news, Kiki Bertens was forced to retire midway during her match against Belinda Bencic due to a viral illness. She will be third player to withdraw from the year-ending tournament with the likes of Bianca Andreescu and Naomi Osaka doing the same.
Bertens had entered the tournament as a late replacement for Naomi Osaka, who was forced to sit out due to a lingering shoulder injury after winning her second title in a row in the recently-concluded China Open.
The Dutchwoman defeated Ashleigh Barty in her first match in what was a big shocker. However, her run in the tournament came to an abrupt end.
The result propelled Belinda Bencic to move on to the semi finals and she will face the daunting task of going up against Elina Svitolina.
Elina Svitolina comes away unscathed
Speaking of Elina Svitolina, the Ukranian sensation is set to continue her title defense and she will face the debuting Belinda Bencic after sweeping her way in the Purple Group.
“We know all the game style that she has. She takes the ball quite early, and you have to be ready for this game style. For me the main thing is to recover first, to be fresh tomorrow physically and mentally,” answered Svitolina when asked about Bencic.
The 25-year-old managed to notch two victories against Karolina Pliskova and Simona Halep, and she followed that one up with a recent victory over Sofia Kenin, who replaced the injured Bianca Andreescu at the last minute.
In her match against Kenin, Svitolina came out the aggressor with her first-strike strategy as she tallied 11 aces and 25 winners for the day. Although she trailed at some parts of the match, Svitolina made sure to take advantage of Kenin’s errors to steal the game from under her opponent’s nose.
She had already qualified for the semis before this match, but she wasn’t about to rest on her laurels on this one. Furthermore, she aims to keep her WTA Finals winning streak going by preparing well and going hard for every match.
“Each time I step on the court I have to win. My parents raised me this way – that I have to fight for everything, I have to give 100% each time I play,” said Svitolina.
Ashleigh Barty and Karolina Pliskova book their spots
With both of them holding 2-1 win-loss cards in the group stage, WTA’s top two players in Karolina Pliskova and Ashleigh Barty get to advance in the Final Four in the WTA Finals.
Pliskova will be in the same stage for the third straight year, after beating Simona Halep 6-0, 2-6, 6-4 last Friday night.
She was able to dominate in the first set. However, the succeeding sets were a different story altogether.
Simona Halep was out-maneuvering the Czech player by striking some backhand winners and took advantage of the latter’s service errors.
However, Pliskova stormed back at the final set buoyed by her strong overhead attacks and forehand finishers, earning for herself a love break to draw level at 2-2. From there, the 27-year-old managed to retake the lead and she withstood a late flurry by Halep en route to the victory.
“I’ve been playing a lot of seasons quite till the end now in a row. It’s not always easy. Of course, I feel tired. But I do what I love,” said Pliskova.
“It’s the last push. Right now I’m giving everything I have,” she added.
Needing a win to boost her WTA Finals 2019 odds to the Final Four, Ashleigh Barty let out a masterful performance against Petra Kvitova, 6-4, 6-2 in a match that lasted under two hours.
This marks Barty’s third straight win over Kvitova after going 0-4 in their four matches prior – including heartbreaking ones in the Sydney Final and in the Australian Open quarterfinals.
The Australian capitalised on her opponent’s 20 unforced errors, and her superb serve plus her clinical play proved to be too much for Kvitova in this match.
“I just enjoy the challenge of playing against Petra. She really does bring out the best in me. I think each time I’ve played Petra, I’ve become a better player having learned what’s happened during that match,” said Barty postgame.
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