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Day 2 of the 2015 WTA Finals at Singapore presents two different kinds of contests in the White Group – one between debutantes, Garbine Muguruza and Lucie Safarova and the other between experienced customers, Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber. How will these two matches pan out? We take a look.
(2) Garbine Muguruza (ESP) v (8) Lucie Safarova (CZE)
Head-to-head: Safarova leads Muguruza 1-0
There is not much to separate between WTA Finals singles debutantes, Garbine Muguruza and Lucie Safarova. Both won one singles title this year and both reached their maiden Grand Slam singles finals in 2015. Besides, both have built a reputation for being excellent doubles players and also are vying for the doubles title at this gala Year-ender.
But there is a significant difference in the way the fall season has shaped up for the French Open runner-up and the Wimbledon runner-up. While Muguruza’s graph has soared higher and higher, Safarova had been on a sickness-induced hiatus which clearly robbed her of her consistency.
Spanish World No. 4 Muguruza could not have asked for a better preparation ahead of her debut at the glittering season-ending tournament. The Wimbledon final showing might have put pressure on her and she slumped to a 2-4 record in her next four events which included a second-round departure from the US Open.
But it all came together for the 22-year-old in the Asian swing as she could once again command the court and control her errors. The poise and conviction rewarded her with a final appearance at Wuhan and the title at the Premier-Mandatory tournament in Beijing. With a fortnight of rest since then, she should be raring to go at Singapore.
The 28-year-old Safarova, in contrast, was the last player to book her berth at the WTA Finals. After a solid mid-season where she reached the French Open final, Wimbledon fourth round and the New Haven final, the lefty Czech suffered from an abdominal tear and had a scary experience with a bacterial infection that had her hospitalized. The ordeal rendered her unable to play the Asian swing and then she had early defeats at Linz and Moscow. Certainly, the Czech can’t bank much on her recent form.
However, Safarova has expressed that she is getting back to her desired physical level and she also has the advantage of beating the Spanish No. 1 in their only meeting this year at the French Open. That might propel the southpaw to make it an engaging contest but Muguruza’s self-belief and penetrating groundstrokes will, ultimately, be the calling card.
Prediction: Muguruza in straight sets
(4) Petra Kvitova (CZE) v (6) Angelique Kerber (GER)
Head-To-Head: Kvitova leads Kerber 4-2
When Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber meet, it is a tense battle of attrition and a test of the two lefty players’ sheer willpower and stamina. Out of six times, five times their encounters have headed the distance and it would be foolish to expect a reversal of this trend even this time.
2011 WTA Finals champion Kvitova has seized the last three wins, one of which includes a victory at this very tournament two years ago. But circumstances, however, are different this time which could lead to a deviation in the final outcome.
World No. 9 Angelique Kerber has put together one of the most consistent seasons since April. After having been deprived her of an opportunity to play at the WTA Finals last year, the German rebounded from a disastrous start to the 2015 season by claiming the title on the green clay of Charleston. She followed it up with more glory at Stuttgart and then found silverware on the grasscourts of Birmingham and the hardcourts of Stanford. Kerber was going for her fifth crown this season when she fell to Jelena Jankovic at the Hong Kong summit clash just a few days back.
The remarkable consistency has seen her amass a staggering 52 wins on the circuit which puts her second only to the World No. 1 Serena Williams. The only blemish for Kerber in 2015 has been her performances at the Grand Slams where she flattered to deceive after dazzling displays in warm-up events.
Kvitova, on the other hand, is still recuperating from the effects of mononucleosis. She started the 2015 season with a bang by reigning supreme at Sydney. After sitting out throughout the American Tour of Indian Wells and Miami due to fatigue, she returned sharper and hungrier than before and took a huge scalp – that of Serena Williams en route to the title at Madrid.
But expectations had been low since her latest bout of mononucleosis. Even though she notched wisn at New Haven, and achieved her best result at the US Open by reaching the quarter-finals in between, wayward results once again followed for the Czech at Wuhan and Beijing.
However, one thing that could favour Kvitova is her past success at this tournament. She knows how to deal with the best and if she can find her energy and confidence back, she can motor through the third set if this contest stretches to the decider.
But with Kerber in such ominous form, that just might be a tedious task for the Czech after her recent health struggles.
Prediction: Kerber in three sets
