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Finally we have arrived at the day on which the first batch of semi-finalists will be decided at the 2015 WTA finals in Singapore. Maria Sharapova, Simona Halep, Flavia Pennetta and Agnieszka Radwanska all still have a chance to progress to the last-four from the Red Group. But who look more certain of a semi-final spot? We take a look:
(3) Maria Sharapova v (7) Flavia Pennetta
Head-To-Head: Pennetta leads Sharapova 3-2
From the current brigade, if there is one player (other than Serena Williams) who gives Maria Sharapova sleepless nights, then it is Flavia Pennetta. The Italian is the only player in the Singapore field against whom the Russian former World No. 1 has a losing record.
Pennetta, with her mix of blistering backhands, great movement and superb touch at the net, always makes it a tough proposition for the five-time major champion. So much so, that the Russian superstar has never won a single match against Pennetta since 2006.
The US Open champion has won their last three meetings – semi-finals of Los Angeles in 2009, third round of US Open in 2011 and the fourth round of Indian Wells this year. Even more interesting is that, each of their five matches have gone the distance, meaning even when Pennetta has lost , she managed to snatch a set off Sharapova.
Clearly, the Italian is one opponent Sharapova would surely like to avoid at this stage. If one thought that the 33-year-old would have been content with just securing a place at the gala Year-ender for the first time, then one was definitely wrong. For Pennetta showed that she is very much in the hunt for the semi-finals with her determined 7-6 (5), 6-4 win against a weary Agnieszka Radwanska. This is the Italian’s last professional tournament of her career and she is certainly looking to end with a hurrah.
However, Maria Sharapova needs just one set to ensure her progress into the semi-finals after her two wins in the round robin stage. The Russian has looked quite good for a player who has not played a full match since the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.
There has been no noticeable rustiness of any sort. It is as if Sharapova had been quietly preparing for weeks with a view to giving her best at the Championships. Her dismantling of Radwanska and especially Halep back-to-back, speaks volumes of how much Maria has missed the highest level of competition.
No matter how big a challenge Pennetta poses, this time Sharapova looks set to get that elusive win and in the process, secure her passage into the last-four.
Pick: Sharapova in three sets
(1) Simona Halep v (5) Agnieszka Radwanska
Head-To-Head: Series tied 4-4
From the four in the Red Group, Agnieszka Radwanska is the least favoured to advance to the semi-finals of the 2015 WTA Finals after her three-set loss against Sharapova and a straight-set defeat to Pennetta. After a fighting three-setter against the Russian, Radwanska was very much expected to emerge the winner versus Pennetta but she surprisingly put in a listless performance and looked slow and sluggish with her movements. And thus she is languishing at the bottom of the group.
However, the Pole still has a slender chance to make it through to the last-four. She plays top seed Simona Halep, who is yet to guarantee herself a semi-final spot after her 4-6, 4-6 loss to Sharapova. Their head-to-head record is tied at 4-4. Even though it has been Halep who has had an upper hand in the rivalry in recent times, Radwanska did beat Halep last year and also took a set off the Romanian this year in the quarter-finals of Toronto.
Evidently, it is not totally out of reach for her if the Pole can rebound from her setback. However, Radwanska must win in straight sets to have any hope of making it to the final four whereas Halep has the luxury of losing a set and yet securing her place in the semis, provided the other result from her group is favourable.
On top of that, the one important win that Halep can draw confidence from is her 6-2, 6-2 thrashing of Radwanska last year in the semi-finals of this very tournament. If the World No. 2 can summon the fighting spirit and the belief she displayed in her first round robin win against Pennetta this year, then it would readily make things difficult for the struggling Radwanska. The Romanian reached the final last year and she would not like to give up a chance to emulate her 2014 feat, or perhaps, go one even better.
Pick: Halep in straight sets
