Kerber prevails in titanic battle with Osaka, while Stephens fends off Bertens
Three days, two three-set matches, one lifeline. Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka went the full distance so far at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, just to keep their hopes of advancing to the semi-finals alive.
Tempers flared. Nerves were frayed. Osaka slammed her racket repeatedly on her foot. Kerber muttered furiously to herself. The Japanese massaged her left hamstring gingerly. The German clutched her back and winced.
And after 2hr 30min of relentless, intense tennis, it was Kerber who finally put away her gallant opponent 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Wednesday night (24 October), to the roaring approval of the packed arena.
The top seed at this competition, the Wimbledon champion had stumbled out of the blocks in losing in three sets to eighth-seeded Kiki Bertens on Monday. The victory meant that Kerber stays in the hunt for a semi-final spot with one round-robin match to play.
“It was a lot of up-and-downs, a lot of emotions. It was just one, two points which decided the match,” the 30-year-old said. “I was just trying to stay focused and trying to play point by point. Doesn’t matter how the score was, I was just trying to fight until the last point.”
For US Open champion Osaka, defeat coupled with her earlier loss to Sloane Stephens meant that she could be eliminated even if she wins her final round-robin match against Bertens. Still, the 21-year-old was happy with her performances on her debut at this elite tournament.
“Just the fact that there are only eight players here and they are the very best…I think it’s really cool that I’m able to be a part of this tournament,” she said.
“In a way I’m very proud of myself for being able to make the matches so close without really having a (good) first serve. I wanted to be in top form, but I’m not really there. It’s a little bit depressing.”
Osaka could have been eliminated last night, had Bertens won in the later match. However, Stephens prevailed in another three-set tussle, beating the Dutchwoman 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-3 in 2hr 20min. That was the sixth three-set match this year, and it has already tied the 2009 edition for the most three-set matches in a single WTA Finals tournament (since the round robin format returned in 2003).
Earlier on Wednesday, 12-time Grand Slam winner and WTA founder Billie Jean King unveiled an art piece title “Dream” to commemorate Singapore’s five years of hosting the season-ending tournament.
The sculpture, created by Singapore artist Baet Yeok Kuan, features a young girl holding a tennis racket in the midst of hitting a giant ball. It will be permanently displayed outside the north entrance of the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and incorporated into the Sports Hub’s sports and arts heritage trail that is set to be ready in 2019.
Said the 74-year-old King, “Thank you Singapore for taking a chance on WTA, and being the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to host the WTA Finals. With this symbolic art piece, I hope that Singapore remembers her invaluable contribution to the legacy of the WTA Finals, and continues to use this as an inspiration for future generations.”
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