Advertisement

WTA Finals begins with 2 surprise results as Pliskova, Svitolina triumph

Karolina Pliskova acknowledges the crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium after her victory over Caroline Wozniacki at the WTA Finals Singapore on 21 October, 2018. PHOTO: Reuters/Edgar Su
Karolina Pliskova acknowledges the crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium after her victory over Caroline Wozniacki at the WTA Finals Singapore on 21 October, 2018. PHOTO: Reuters/Edgar Su

The final edition of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global began on Sunday (21 October) with two minor upsets, as the higher seeds came up short against their opponents in their opening round-robin matches at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

World No. 7 Elina Svitolina followed the opening ceremony with a surprise 6-3, 6-3 victory over world No. 5 Petra Kvitova, before world No. 8 Karolina Pliskova stunned defending champion and world No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 6-4 in the second match.

Both Pliskova and Wozniacki had arrived in Singapore in fine form with tournament wins in September – Pliskova at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, and Wozniacki at the China Open in Beijing.

However, it was Pliskova who managed to impose her big-serving game over Wozniacki’s counter-punching style, as she broke the Dane’s service games early and then held the Australian Open winner at bay when she tried to mount a comeback, saving an astonishing 10 out of 10 break points.

Said the Czech, “I’m just happy that I got this top win against a top player. It’s always very positive, always give me extra confidence to beat player like this.”

On saving all her 10 break points, the 26-year-old added, “I think that’s the best statistic on my serve on the break points ever. I had to really fight for it, and I’m just happy that I closed it out in the second.”

Wozniacki, on the other hand, believes she can take positives from her defeat. The Dane said, “I had break points in almost every one of her service games, but I didn’t get any one of them. That was kind of disappointing, and if I had gotten some of them, the outcome could have been different.

“But it wasn’t to be today. I’ll just have to go back and practice tomorrow, get some shots in, and try to do better next time.”

Elina Svitolina celebrates after winning her match against Petra Kvitova at the WTA Finals Singapore on 21 October, 2018. PHOTO: EFE/EPA/Wallace Woon
Elina Svitolina celebrates after winning her match against Petra Kvitova at the WTA Finals Singapore on 21 October, 2018. PHOTO: EFE/EPA/Wallace Woon

In the earlier match, Svitolina capitalised on an error-prone performance by Kvitova to emerge victorious.

The Ukrainian had not beaten her opponent in their past seven encounters, and had never even taken a set off the Czech since 2015. Yet, while Kvitova showed plenty of her devastating forehand, she was also frustratingly erratic for much of the match, drawing frequent groans from the crowd.

Svitolina, tenacious and far more consistent, took the win and then took aim at her detractors who questioned her credentials at this elite tournament, being the only player among the eight singles participants who has yet to reach a Grand Slam semi-final.

“Definitely now I want to take this win as one for all those haters who were saying, you know, that I don’t deserve to be here and I’m not good. So, yeah, until the next match, I can really enjoy this win,” she said.

Kvitova, meanwhile, remained upbeat despite her loss, as she has two more matches in the round-robin stage to revive her hopes of advancing to the semi-finals.

She said, “I think I didn’t play as bad as the scoreline looks. Of course that I made some easy mistakes, but it’s just part of my game. I know that I have to go forward, to play more aggressive. I tried a few volleys, which I think was probably good today, so maybe I could go more often to the net.”

Related stories:

Kerber, Wozniacki savour rollercoaster careers

Naomi Osaka staying true to herself despite rising stardom

Groups drawn, scene is set for last WTA Finals in Singapore