RADWANSKA TOPS OFF THE YEAR WITH THE WTA TENNIS FINALS TITLE IN SINGAPORE, SHE BEATS KVITOVA 6-2,4-6,6-3 BY GLOBAL CHICK

Written by: Staff on 1st November 2015

BNP Paribas WTA Finals 2015 in Singapore

RADWANSKA TOPS OFF THE YEAR WITH THE WTA TENNIS FINALS TITLE IN SINGAPORE, SHE BEATS KVITOVA 6-2,4-6,6-3 BY GLOBAL CHICK

epa05006006 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland celebrates with the Billie Jean King Trophy after defeating Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic in their singles final match at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals 2015 held at the indoor stadium in Singapore, 01 November 2015. EPA/WALLACE WOON |

It may not have been the line-up that everyone wanted. It may not have even been the final that everyone wanted, and indeed after a veritably tutorial handed down by Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza to Carla Suarez Navarro and Garbine Muguruza earlier in the day, we needed a good final.

Coming out, Agnieszka Radwanska was on fire. More magic that Harry Potter, more angles than my old school set square, Petra Kvitova joined the ranks of the spectators, while indulging in what seemed to be her childhood fantasy of being a fire-fighter with the amount of spraying errors that was going around.

The first set whipped by in a flash, and for a time it looked like Radwanska would add another Polish first to her CV as being the first Pole to lift the title. All it was missing was those lightning flashes before a magician disappears in a puff of smoke.

Ah but the magic awoke the P3tra – somehow despite some real grimaces of pain from a heavily strapped thigh – she managed to force Radwanska into smacking the ball right back into her hit zone.

Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic in action against Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland during their singles final match of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals 2015 held at the indoor stadium in Singapore, 01 November 2015. EPA/WALLACE WOON

She bashed out nine points in a row to claw her way back on serve, and as Radwanska’s level dipped, she leveled the match, after starting with all the consistency of a barely steamed dumpling.

With the crowd happy that they had a match to get behind, the momentum shifted like a pendulum on steroids. Breaks left and right – it was really coming down to who would blink first. Turns out it would be Kvitova who just could not hang on as Radwanska picked up the pace while the Czech started to stumble… literally!

Radwanska moved to within a game of lifting the biggest title of her career and was almost tearfully stunned when Kvitova smacked a ball in the net.

It cannot have been easy to lose that match, and by her own admission most of the third set of never ending breaks seemed to whizz by Kvitova in a blur, but overall, from exhaustion, mono and not knowing for 24 hours if she was even in the semi-final – all in all it was not a bad finish!

She said: “I think with this kind of tournament it’s more positives for sure. I mean, I had a great match yesterday with Maria, and I just think that today was really big fight and just about few points and I didn’t make it.

“I think was still great even for me. The season was good. I mean, of course I wish a little bit better, but on the side I think could be much more worse. It’s still okay.”

For all the grumbling about the losses coming into the semi-finals, Radwanska had to remind us all that her start was a three set epic against Maria Sharapova and set the scene for some breath-taking tennis over this past week.

Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in action against Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic during their singles final match of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals 2015 held at the indoor stadium in Singapore, 01 November 2015. EPA/WALLACE WOON

She said: “I lost first two matches, but it’s not like I was playing bad. It was still good matches. I just didn’t use the chances. I wasn’t really focus enough and something just slip away and then it was hard to come back. But definitely not bad matches, especially the one against Maria. That’s why I didn’t ‑‑ I just knew being fresh and have a good rest, that is very important for us.

“I don’t know how, but I was really feeling better afterwards, and I think I used to conditions, used to surface. I think I was playing even better in those two days.”

She now joins Amelie Mauresmo as the last season ending final not to have a slam. But you know what? She went on to win two of them! No pressure then.

She said: “Well, for sure give me more confidence, especially that in a Grand Slam you also to have win and beat couple of top players in a row.

“I think here it’s even harder because just eight of us and you don’t have any first rounds to used to the courts. But definitely a good start. I’ll definitely try to do that next year,” she continued with a smile.

There are going to be those who scoff, who say ‘well Serena wasn’t here’ or ‘well how can someone lose two matches and win’ but is that not the whole point of a different format for the final championships? Otherwise – it is just another tournament and that’s not what this show is all about. And anyway… players can only play who is on the other side of the net, so it is hardly their fault!

Anyway for the elite that came here the season is (almost) finally over. For a hobbling Kvitova though she still has Fed Cup final, for the rest it is holiday (and possibly IPTL) time.

And so the Global Chick calls time on Singapore – we have had noodles, rice, Singapore Slings and a week and a bit of some quality women’s tennis. So can the men be as unpredictable in London? We’ll just have to see – see you all back in Blighty, where we will substitute warm clothes in cold media rooms for… just warm clothes full stop.

It’s a WRAP! My 10th WTA Finals. Photo by Andrew Krasny via Facebook.

Topics: Agnieszka Radwanska, Carla Suarez Navarro, Garbine Muguruza, global chick, Martina Hingis, Petra Kvitova, Sania Mirza, Singapore tennis, Tennis News, WTA Finals

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10sBalls_com says:

November 1, 2015 at 9:29 am

#Radwanska Tops Off The Year With The #WTAFinals Title In #Singapore, She Beats #Kvitova 6-2,4-6,6-3 by Global Chick https://t.co/d4i9HvepLm

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