Svitolina slips into Zhuhai semis
Print Edition
Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina battled back from behind to beat Carla Suarez Navarro in a “crazy” match and grab the last place in the WTA Elite Trophy semi-finals yesterday.
The world No. 20 narrowly lost a marathon, 80-minute first set but she hit back to win 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-3 and reach the last four in the inaugural tournament in Zhuhai, south China’s Guangdong Province.
Svitolina, 21, will play Czech Karolina Pliskova today, while top seed Venus Williams of the United States faces Italy’s Roberta Vinci in the other semifinal.
If Williams wins the title she will return to the top 10 for the first time in more than four years.
“It was such a crazy match today,” Svitolina said, according to the WTA website. “I was playing really well out there, and Carla was playing really well as well.
“It was a marathon match and really tough obviously, but I was really happy with how I played today. This is a big win.”
Already qualified Vinci expended little energy in her 1-6, 0-6 defeat to Slovakian alternate Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, who replaced Caroline Wozniacki after the Dane withdrew.
Former world No. 1 Wozniacki pulled out with a left wrist injury caused by being unable to hold her racquet properly after she accidentally cut herself with a bread knife from room service.
Seventh-seeded American Madison Keys won the tournament’s final round-robin group match 6-3, 6-2 against China’s No. 1, wildcard Zheng Saisai, with neither player capable of reaching the semis.
The tournament brings together 11 of the top players who did not qualify for last week’s WTA Finals in Singapore, which was won by Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska.
The qualifiers compete in a four-group round robin format, with the winners of each group advancing to the semifinals.
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