Garcia Gets By Kasatkina To Advance At WTA Finals; Swiatek Leads SFs
Caroline Garcia clinched the final berth in the last four of the WTA Finals Saturday afternoon with a tight and tense 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(5) victory.
“It’s definitely a great achievement,” Garcia said after the win. “I was already really proud to be in the Top 8. I don’t really know if I realize that this is the semifinal tomorrow. It proves that this year was definitely a good year. I started very far from the Top 10, the Top 8, and I make my way to it. Today, it’s one more thing that proves my game style is working and I have to keep going that way.”
The elimination match (winner moves on, loser goes home) saw the Russian overcome a 4-2 first set deficit to run off four straight games to take the opener.
Garcia then caught form in the second which continued in the third. A Kasatkina double fault gave Garcia the lead but it wouldn’t last. Garcia would miss on break chances but was able to finally finish it in the breaker.
Kasatkina just missed out on moving on in her first WTA Finals appearance.
“One or two points, obviously, in the tiebreak,” she said. “I think level was pretty close. Third set, wasn’t a big difference between us. When you don’t want to lose, you squeeze everything you have, everything that’s left in your tank, so this is what I was doing. Now, I feel absolutely empty.”
There will be no rest for Garcia who returns tomorrow to face Maria Sakkari in the semifinals.
“I won my spot today, by going forward to it,” Garcia said. “And that’s the way I play the best this year and I want to keep going forward because tomorrow’s match is going to be a big one.”
Also, Iga Swiatek returns to meet Aryna Sabalenka. Swiatek rolled Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-0 in a match that had no impact on Sunday. But between Gauff and Jessica Pegula, the Americans went 0-6 in singles play and 0-3 in doubles!
The final is set for Monday night at 9pm ET.
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