(Guadalajara) Anett Kontaveit extended his winning streak to 12 by defeating Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-0 on Friday to advance to the WTA Finals four-quarter ace.
The 25-year-old Estonian has won 28 of her last 30 matches, including winning the title at the Ostrava tournament.
“I really like being on the pitch, I’m having a good time. I believe that is the reason why I play so well. I feel like I can beat anyone, ”Kontaveit said.
Kontaveit, which went from 30e Top-10 echelon since she began working with coach Dimitry Tursunov at the Cincinnati Masters, secured her place in the semifinals of the prestigious tournament even though the top spot in her group is still at stake.
“I think every win until the end of the year will give me a little more confidence,” said Kontaveit. The ball begins to roll. I also received good advice from my new coach. I think he brought good energy. ”
Pliskova, the third seed, is 1-1 in the tournament, but she can still advance to the playoffs.
At the end of the evening, Spain’s Garbine Muguruza came from behind to beat Barbora Krejcikova in three sets of 2-6, 6-3 and 6-4, to stay alive. With a 1-1 record, Muguruza must now beat Kontaveit (2-0) on Sunday and hope for a victory for Krejcikova against Pliskova (1-1).
For her part, Krejcikova (0-2), reigning Roland Garros champion, must beat Pliskova in two rounds and hope for a defeat for Muguruza to move on to the next stage.
Kontaveit narrowly beat Ons Jabeur for the final pass to the WTA Finals, after defeating Romania’s Simona Halep in the Transylvanian Open final last month.
The WTA Finals, which were called off last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, include a group stage that sets the stage for the semi-finals.
The tournament is taking place in Guadalajara this year only, as they are due to be presented in Shenzhen, China, in 2022.