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Elina Svitolina, Sloane Stephens to face off after gripping semi-finals

Elina Svitolina roars in delight after winning her WTA Finals Singapore semi-final clash against Kiki Bertens on 27 October, 2018. (PHOTO: Reuters/Edgar Su)
Elina Svitolina roars in delight after winning her WTA Finals Singapore semi-final clash against Kiki Bertens on 27 October, 2018. (PHOTO: Reuters/Edgar Su)

They may be among the top women’s singles players for the season, but none of the four semi-finalists at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global had won a Grand Slam trophy this year.

Perhaps they were thinking about finishing the season with at least a prestigious title victory, and winning the Billie Jean King Trophy on Sunday (28 October) will certainly be it. That could explain the two gripping semi-final battles the fans saw on Saturday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Elina Svitolina, whose fine form early this year made her slump in the second half of the year all the more puzzling, looked more like her old self at this tournament, as she edged out Kiki Bertens 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4 after a 2hr 38min tussle in the first semi-final.

The 24-year-old Ukrainian, the only player at the WTA Finals who has yet to reach a Grand Slam semi-final, has won four straight three-set matches at the tournament, proof that not only could she stand tall among the elite field, but she could also outwit and outlast the best of them.

“There were lots of talking about my second part of the season, so, you know, this really motivated me,” she said.

“When I qualified for this tournament, I definitely decided that I’m going to just go for it. I’m good enough, I’m going to trust my game, trust myself. And here I am in the final, so it’s something that’s really special for me, and I think definitely it’s something that I can be proud of.”

Her consistent game served her well against Bertens, who hit frequent winners with her huge forehand but was undone by 63 unforced errors to Svitolina’s 36.

And the Ukrainian’s steeliness shone through in the third set. Up a break at 1-0, she had her serve broken by Bertens in an epic, 11-minute-plus game. However, Svitolina broke back straight away for an advantage she would not relinquish for the rest of the match.

Kiki Bertens made 63 unforced errors during her semi-final match against Elina Svitolina. (PHOTO: Reuters/Edgar Su)
Kiki Bertens made 63 unforced errors during her semi-final match against Elina Svitolina. (PHOTO: Reuters/Edgar Su)

While Bertens said that the loss “hurt a lot”, she was nonetheless pleased with the huge strides she made this year, as she entered the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time.

“The only goal I set in the beginning of this year was just try to have more fun,” the Dutchwoman said. “But especially now, winning three titles, being here in Singapore, being in top 10 of the world, it’s just all amazing.”

While the first semi-final was a tight and intense affair throughout, the second was a wild roller-coaster ride, as reflected by Sloane Stephens’ winning scoreline of 0-6, 6-4, 6-1 over Karolina Pliskova in just under two hours.

Sloane Stephens returns a shot against Karolina Pliskova during their WTA Finals Singapore semi-final clash on 27 October, 2018. (PHOTO: EFE/EPA/Wallace Woon)
Sloane Stephens returns a shot against Karolina Pliskova during their WTA Finals Singapore semi-final clash on 27 October, 2018. (PHOTO: EFE/EPA/Wallace Woon)

The American is the only semi-finalist who has won a Grand Slam title – the 2017 US Open – and after a horrendous start in which she lost eight straight games, she somehow found her rhythm back against the punishing serves of her Czech opponent.

“Obviously at 0-6, 0-2, you don’t have anything to lose, so you can kind of do whatever at that point and hope for the best. I think that’s what I did,” she said after her win.

“I was like, I’ve got to win a game, I cannot be embarrassed. I’ve played so well this whole week, and I cannot let this be the last match of the season. I just tried my best and, yeah, it ended up okay.”

For Pliskova, it is yet another season without a major trophy for the former world No. 1, even though she felt she was unlucky with the defeat.

“For a set and a half, I was playing very well. I think the best set this year, for sure. But, you know, Sloane’s a fighter. It’s the last tournament of the season, so I think she just went for it and she started to play much better,” she said. “I don’t think I did that many things wrong the second set, but obviously I lost a little bit energy the third set.”

Karolina Pliskova waves to the fans as she walks off after losing her semi-final match against Sloane Stephens. (PHOTO: Reuters/Edgar Su)
Karolina Pliskova waves to the fans as she walks off after losing her semi-final match against Sloane Stephens. (PHOTO: Reuters/Edgar Su)

Stephens and Pliskova will face off in the singles final at 7.30pm on Sunday. The doubles final at 4pm will be contested between top-seeded Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova and second seeds Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic.

Related stories:

Bottom seeds turn the tables as Sloane Stephens, Kiki Bertens reach last-four

Svitolina, Pliskova advance as defending champ Wozniacki exits WTA Finals

Kerber prevails in titanic battle with Osaka, while Stephens fends off Bertens