Stephens and Bertens battle to wins at WTA Finals

Published by Matt Trollope

Sloane Stephens celebrates her victory over Naomi Osaka at the WTA Finals in Singapore; Getty Images
Sloane Stephens and Kiki Bertens make winning debuts at the WTA Finals on Monday night.

Sloane Stephens began her maiden appearance at the WTA Finals with a three-set win to take the early lead in the Red Group.

Stephens beat fellow tournament debutante Naomi Osaka 7-5 4-6 6-1 on Monday night.

There was a shock in day two’s second match as Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands fought back to beat top seed Angelique Kerber 1-6 6-3 6-4.

Bertens, a late replacement for injured world No.1 Simona Halep, trailed 6-1 2-0 before staging an impressive fightback.

“It was a slow start but I was really happy to turn around this match,” said Bertens.

“I had a little chat with my coach when it wasn’t going so well, so we decided to go a little bit more for my shots, play a little more aggressive and it worked out.”

Stephens will take on both Bertens and Kerber in the coming days as she looks to progress from the round-robin stage.

“I’m really happy to be through. Obviously Naomi is a great player and playing with a lot of confidence right now, having an awesome season,” the American said.

“We played a really good competitive match so it’s always an honour to play on the court with somebody that good.”

QUIZ: do you know your iconic WTA Finals photos?

This was a battle between the past two US Open champions, yet rarely did they play well at the same time.

It was full of momentum swings right from the start; Stephens broke for a 4-3 lead, only for Osaka to break back and move ahead 5-4 with some powerful shotmaking and serving.

Stephens suddenly stopped missing and displayed her athletic, defensive prowess, reeling off three straight games to take the first.

The level improved somewhat in the second set and it was here Osaka wrested control of the match.

Frustrated at her inability to convert a 1-2, 0-40 lead into a break, she injected more pace and depth into her shots two games later to save a break point and hold for 3-2. A Stephens double fault made it 4-2, and Osaka stretched her lead to 5-2 after coming out on top of an entertaining nine-minute game.

Stephens staged a brief comeback but again a double fault proved her undoing in the 10th game, one that handed Osaka the break, and the second set.

Yet in the decider, Osaka couldn’t hang with Stephens, who had won their only previous meeting two-and-a-half years ago in Acapulco.

Surprisingly, she didn’t challenge an overrule in the second game that the TV broadcast revealed was incorrect from the chair umpire, an outcome that allowed Stephens to go on to hold for 2-0.

A fatiguing Osaka slumped to her knees on court as she missed a return to hand Stephens a 3-1 lead.

The American played solid, impenetrable tennis – as well as a fiery forehand passing shot winner on the run to break for 4-1 – while Osaka’s game unravelled through errors.

At one stage late in the set Stephens won seven straight points to put the result as good as beyond doubt.

“(I) just competed really well. I never gave up. I knew that I was going to have to play some really good tennis to beat her,” Stephens said.

“So I just stayed tough, tried to stay as positive as I could, and just took my opportunities when they presented themselves.”

Share this: 
  • Most popular articles

9 January 2018

ATP: the biggest strength and weakness of every top 10 playe...

As the first Grand Slam of the season fast approaches, top-10 players are leading the char... More

14 August 2017

Sharapova quotes Serena: “I will never lose to that li...

Maria Sharapova has opened up in her memoir Unstoppable, revealing her take on how Serena ... More

23 February 2016

The history of the most common words in tennis

Tennis is a funny old game. People love you one minute and then want to drop you the next;... More

19 February 2016

Tennis player grunts or porn star groans?

Roberta Vinci appeared on Italian TV and was put to the test - were the grunts she was hea... More