News APP

NewsApp (Free)

Read news as it happens
Download NewsApp

Available on  gplay

This article was first published 7 years ago
Rediff.com  » Sports » WTA Finals: Kerber outlasts Cibulkova, Halep unlocks Keys

WTA Finals: Kerber outlasts Cibulkova, Halep unlocks Keys

Last updated on: October 23, 2016 21:17 IST
Get Rediff News in your Inbox:

Germany's Angelique Kerber celebrates a point against Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova during their WTA Finals opener at the National Indoor Stadium in Singapore on Sunday

IMAGE: Germany's Angelique Kerber celebrates a point against Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova during their WTA Finals opener at the National Indoor Stadium in Singapore on Sunday. Photograph: Edgar Su/Reuters

Angelique Kerber was forced to dig deep in her WTA Finals opener before the German world number one battled past Dominika Cibulkova 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-3 in a high-class baseline slugfest at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Sunday.

First-time finalist Cibulkova opened with a double fault and Kerber, who won two grand slam titles in 2016, took advantage of her opponent's nervy start to grab an immediate break without having to do much more than get the ball over the net.

By contrast, the German found her rhythm right away as she located the corners with ease and used her brilliant retrieving skills to make Cibulkova always play an extra shot when it appeared the point had already been won.

The Slovakian, who won her third title of the year in Linz earlier this month, slowly worked her way back into the set with her high-intensity game and pressured Kerber enough to make her cough up two double faults to tie things up at 4-4.

The pair were now slugging it out on the baseline and after both held serve through to a tiebreaker, Kerber kept her nerve in the face of some tremendous pressure to edge ahead in the thrilling encounter.

Romanian Simona Halep in action against USA's Madison Keys

IMAGE: Romanian Simona Halep in action against USA's Madison Keys during their WTA Finals singles match at the National Indoor Stadium in Singapore on Sunday. Photograph: Edgar Su/Reuters

Undeterred, Cibulkova made a fast start to the second set as Kerber wavered, breaking her opponent twice in a row to race into a 4-0 lead and, while the German threatened to mount a comeback, the seventh seed drew level with a forehand winner.

With exhaustion kicking in and the points growing shorter, Kerber recovered after suffering an early break and showed the class befitting the world's top-ranked player to reel off four straight games on her way to a hard-fought victory.

"I was trying to stay focused in the third set, trying to play my game and be aggressive. That was my plan and it worked well... it was a really close and really tough match," Kerber said.

Earlier, Simona Halep got her campaign off to a perfect start when the Romanian world number four dominated an erratic Madison Keys to kick off round-robin play in the elite eight-woman, season-ending event with a 6-2 6-4 victory.

In the opening Red Group match, diminutive Romanian Halep drew first blood in the third game, putting pressure on Keys's backhand side with pinpoint accuracy and converting her fourth break point when the American plonked a weak drive into the net.

Madison Keys in action against Simona Halep

IMAGE: Madison Keys in action against Simona Halep. Photograph: Edgar Su/Reuters

Buoyed up by the early breakthrough, Halep went for the kill and rattled off the next 11 points on her way to a decisive 5-1 lead as Keys's game unravelled, riddled with unforced errors.

Keys, on her first visit to Singapore, continued to mix winners with mistakes and, after trading breaks midway through the second set, a fired-up Halep broke again in the ninth game before serving out the contest in a little more than an hour.

"It's always the same with Madison... she's very strong and hits the ball hard so it's tough to match her power," said Halep.

"So I have to adjust, be strong with my legs and make the most of my chances."

Defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska opens her campaign against Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova on Monday with Garbine Muguruza and Karolina Pliskova completing the White Group. 

Get Rediff News in your Inbox:
Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE 2024

INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE 2024