Aussie, Latvian, American advance on tennis courts

Three semi-final spots at WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai have been filled by Australia's Ashleigh Barty, Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova, and America's CoCo Vandeweghe upon victories in their respective Rose, Camellia, and Bougainvillea groups.

A three-time WTA finalist this season but newcomer to Zhuhai, Barty gave a remarkable performance by beating former world #1 Angelique Kerber of Germany.

The Rose round-robin battle on Nov 2 determined who would advance to the knockout stage. The Barty-Kerber match received attention as it was the second time they had met this season; Barty had earlier succumbed to Kerber in three sets when Kerber was in peak form. Things changed this time for the 21-year-old Barty, who in January was ranked #271 before she rocketed into the top 20.

Getting into the game straightaway, Barty took the first set 6-3. The second set was hard fought, but Kerber won with five break points. The Grand Slam (2016 Australian Open and US Open) champion seemed to have found her touch but the 2-1 lead was temporary as Barty regained control and took the match at 6-4, becoming first to reach the top four in the 12-player event.

Ashleigh Barty

Barty said, "Again, I felt like I served great today and put myself in the right position right from the get-go."

The match between Latvian ace Sevastova and Czech pro Barbora Strycova also attracted a lot of attention. Sevastova displayed the confidence gained in her first victory over a below-par Sloane Stephens of the Camellia Group on Nov 1. Her attack-mode attitude allowed her to gradually dominate the battle. She took a 6-3, 6-4 win to become the second semi-finalist.

Vandeweghe looked equally assured in beating an injured Elena Vesnina 6-3, 6-2; her second triumph after defeating Peng Shuai. Her supremacy in the Bougainvillea Group is assured.

At the same time, Chinese Zhang Shuai and Lu Jingjing, who were partners nine years ago in the WTA tournament, teamed up again in doubles and easily defeated second-seeded Alicja Rosolska and Anna Smith 6-3, 6-1 in only 68 minutes.

As the season finale of the WTA Tour, the Oct 31-to-Nov 5 Zhuhai tournament offers the overall champion 700 ranking points as well as the lion's share of $2.2 million in prize money.

Anastasija Sevastova [Photos by Zhu Xi / Zhuhai Daily]