Angelique Kerber was presented with the end-of-year trophy as the world’s No. 1 player after all but booking her place in the knockout stage of the WTA Finals with a clinical 6-4, 6-2 win over Romania’s Simona Halep on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old was already assured of finishing the year at the top of the rankings after Serena Williams withdrew from the WTA Finals with a shoulder injury, but it was officially recognized when she was handed the trophy and a sparkling Tiffany ring.
Kerber, looking sharper and more focussed than she was in her opening round-robin victory over Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova, was all smiles after she posted a surprisingly lop-sided victory over the combative Halep, who had looked in ominous touch during her opening-match win over Madison Keys of the US.
Photo: Reuters
“I was feeling very well today. I think that I was moving good and I was going for it when I had the chance. I think that was the key,” Kerber said.
“For me, I think it’s always good when I start a tournament with tight and close matches where I get my confidence,” she said.
Kerber, electing to receive first, broke Halep’s opening service game and despite later dropping her serve and falling 4-3 behind, the German reeled off the last three games in a row to take the opening set after just 43 minutes.
Kerber was even more dominant in the second set as Halep, one of the best returners in the game, struggled to impose her own game on the in-form German, who reached the top of the world rankings when she won the US Open last month.
Late last night, Svetlana Kuznetsova claimed her second titanic victory in a row when the Russian outlasted Karolina Pliskova 3-6, 6-2, 7-6, (8/6) in a thrilling White Group encounter.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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