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It was a quick turnaround – and not in the best ways – for Barbora Krejcikova at the WTA Elite Finals on Wednesday. Daria Kasatkina beat the top-seeded Czech in their round-robin match in the Azalea Group. Kasatkina needed two hours and 10 minutes to pip Krejcikova 7-5, 1-6, 6-1.
Kasatkina won 73% points on return on Krejcikova’s second serve in the first set that helped her gain the lead in the match. She went on to convert three of six break points in the set while saving one of the three break points that emerged on her serve.
In the third set, Kasatkina converted both break points she faced while saving the only break point Krejcikova generated on her serve. In the second set, Krejcikova was able to play the kind of game that had helped her move past the 26-year-old at the Zhengzhou Open, recently.
Back then, Krejcikova had lost only three games in the clash. In Zhuhai, in the middle set, Krejcikova didn’t face any break point and converted both break points she had on Kasatkina’s serve. She also won five of six points on return on Kasatkina’s second serve in the set.
Krejcikova finished with 19 more winners than Kasatkina’s 16. However, she also had 24 more unforced errors than the latter’s 19 that invariably led to her loss in the clash. Following this loss, Kasatkina’s moved to the top of the table with Krejcikova in the second play.
Kasatkina and Magda Linette are yet to play their round-robin match.
WTA Elite Trophy: Qinwen Zheng ekes out a win
In the Camellia Group, Madison Keys’ out of reckoning for a spot in the semi-finals after losing her second round-robin match.
A day after Beatriz Haddad Maia won their match, Caroline Garcia also defeated the American 6-3, 7-6(3). The French player completed the match a minute shy of 90 minutes. In the last match of the day at the WTA Elite Trophy, the highest-ranked Chinese player, Qinwen Zheng beat Donna Vekic, 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-4.
In the third set, Zheng came from down a break to beat the Croatian after nearly three hours of play. This was the first match to be played in the Rose Group and Zheng now leads the table. The third player in the Group is Liudmila Samsonova, who’s seeded fourth.