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The WTA Finals 2019 took a turn when Naomi Osaka pulled out of the tournament owing to a right shoulder injury, and the third-ranked player will be replaced by Kiki Bertens in the Red Group.
Bertens will play her first match against World No.1 Ashleigh Barty, while the second singles match of the day will be contested between Petra Kvitova and Belinda Bencic.
Ashleigh Barty vs Kiki Bertens Head to Head
On the third day of the WTA year-end championships, Ashleigh Barty will be playing the first alternate player Kiki Bertens, following the withdrawal of Osaka. The two will be facing each other for the sixth time in their career and fourth time in 2019. Barty holds a 5-0 win record over the Dutch, having won all their previous encounters.
In 2019, their first encounter was at the Sydney International in January, where Barty registered a win in three sets. Similar was the trend when the two met at the Miami Open and China Open.
Bertens also has a disadvantage at the 2019 WTA Finals, as according to the rules, the player with most wins and the highest number of matches would advance to the semifinals. Since Bertens is coming in as a replacement, she has one less match from which she can clinch a win. Even if she has an equal number of wins when compared to other players, it would then come down to the number of matches played, where she will be lacking, since she has missed out from the opening round.
In 2019, Bertens went on to win the St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy and the Madrid Open, her first Premier Mandatory title. She also reached the finals of the 2019 WTA Elite Trophy but lost 6-4, 6-2 to Aryna Sabalenka.
On the other hand, Ashleigh Barty won the 2019 French Open and Miami Open 2019. She also started her WTA Finals with a 5–7, 6–1, 6–2 win against Belinda Bencic and with a 52/11 win-loss record this year, Barty holds an upper hand over Bertens' record of 51/24.
Prediction - Barty to win in straight sets
Petra Kvitová vs Belinda Bencic Head to Head
The second singles match of the day will see Petra Kvitova take on Belinda Bencic. In the last five encounters between the two, Kvitova holds a 4-1 lead, with her recent win coming at the China Open earlier this month. Belinda had defeated Kvitova 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 in the finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships to lift her second Premier 5 career title.
This year, Kvitova has won two Premier titles, taking her WTA title wins to 27. Suffering from an arm injury, Kvitova was forced to bring down curtains on her clay season and also withdrew her name from participating in the Rogers Cup. The 29-year old, who is the oldest player in the Red Group at the WTA Finals holds a 37/13 win-loss record in 2019, and her first match against Naomi Osaka ended with a 7–6(7–1), 4–6, 6–4 loss for the Czech.
Belinda has had an amazing year, having won her second WTA Premier 5 title and winning against the four ranked players on her way to the trophy. She also won the 2019 Kremlin Cup, to lift her second WTA title of the year. Like Kvitova, Bencic also lost her opening match of the WTA Finals 2019 and was also seen playing with a left foot injury.
Prediction - Kvitova to win in three sets
WTA Finals 2019 Day 3 Schedule
Tournament name: 2019 Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen
Location: China
Category: Year-ending championships
Match 1: Ashleigh Barty vs Kiki Bertens (Approx 4 PM IST)
Match 2: Petra Kvitová vs Belinda Bencic (Approx 5:30 PM IST)
Broadcast: No live telecast in India
Live score: wtafinals.com
You can follow all the coverage of the WTA Finals 2019 here on Sportskeeda.
