SINGAPORE LADIES YEAR END CHAMPIONSHIPS – TENNIS NEWS AND RESULTS – WTAF DAY 2 – BUTTERFLIES BUT NO SLINGS – SINGAPORE SLINGS! BY GLOBAL CHICK

Well Day 2 at the Sport Hub and still no Singapore Slings, but apart from a little detour into the world of Japanese cuisine, it was an interesting day of chit-chat at the WTA Finals.

 

What was good was the different insights as to the state of the WTA nation, as it were. While the lack of consistency (putting Serena aside) worried the Legends line-up of Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Tracy Austin, Marion Bartoli and Martina Navratilova, it was the calendar that came under the most heavy scrutiny when newly appointed CEO Steve Simons faced the media.

 

He ended the session quite rightly pointing out that this tournament should be the pinnacle of the WTA season, and leaving an expectation that of all the impending decisions we should expect, the schedule would be the one that would cause the biggest brouhaha!

 

Meanwhile – the schedule was on a night shift, as it was the turn of second seed Garbiñe Muguruza to fight the group of lefties. Well ok, not all at the same time. She started with her conqueror from the first day of the singles yesterday, Lucie Safarova. Already having qualified for the doubles, the Czech skidded into the final qualification spot in the midst of the frantic scrum for Singapore.

 

Much like its rugby counterpart, the effort seemed to have taken its toll as Muguruza just seem that much punchier and sharper, as she put the Czech under pressure early, and was perhaps unlucky not to set up a double break cushion before she snaffled the first set 6-3.

 

It was enough to galvanise the Czech into a bit of life as she broke Muguruza straight away at the start of the second set, and it looked like it was game on as Safarova looked to be control, but as the Spaniard fought back, it was enough of a momentum shift to help her force a tiebreak, where she never really looked like letting go once she built up a starting lead. She opened her account with a 6-3 7-6(4) win and certainly looked the part of the second seed.

 

The No. 2 seed was suitably chuffed, and indeed articulate about her win, saying: “Obviously to go there and play and win for the first time, it’s great. So I feel now more calm, more in the tournament.

 

“I just went here and maybe … she hasn’t played for maybe couple of weeks. But I definitely played good today, so I think that helped a lot. (Smiling.)”

 

There was barely enough time to stroll out into the hazy evening air for a much needed defrost from the frozen-food section ambience of the air-conditioning before it was lefties as far as the eye could see with Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber.

 

The courts are … somewhat laborious – and it was the German who got off to the quicker start as she looked very solid in the first set, while Kvitova had the haunted look of someone whose bad day at the office was in full flow.

 

It was a little more spirited by the Czech as she out-ground the grinder to head into the second set with a bit of a lead, but you can’t keep a good Kerber down. She clawed her way back into the match and really just kept that momentum with her, sealing the match 6-2 7-6(3).

 

That being said, she admitted to feeling a bit full of butterflies (although I have yet to find those on any menus… but give me time): “I was a little bit nervous before I went on court, but I was actually trying to just play my game plan and it works.

 

“The second set was like a little bit close and was up and downs. Yeah, but I played the tiebreak at the end very good, so that was the key for the match at the end.”

 

Already we feel our heads bursting as the graphics come up with the win/loss ratios. Fingers and toes will soon be pressed into action to work out who might meet who when the ho-fun noodles hit the table. Or something. Given that I had promised myself a pack of crisps/chips/prawn crackers if it went to three sets – I felt denied.

 

We are back to the Red group on Tuesday with Agnieszka Radwanska facing Flavia Pennetta, and the hot ticket will of course be Simona Halep v Maria Sharapova. We may have to put off the hunt for a Singapore Sling for one night longer.

Topics: Angelique Kerber, Garbine Muguruza, global chick, Lucie Safarova, Petra Kvitova, Singapore tennis, Tennis News, WTA Finals

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