Goerges enters semi-finals

Zhuhai, China : Julia Goerges booked her spot in the semifinals of the Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai yesterday, defeating No.1 seed and World No.10 Kristina Mladenovic, 6-2, 7-6(4), to win the Azalea Group with a 2-0 record in the round-robin portion.

Goerges extended her winning streak to seven matches. The German came into Zhuhai having won the last event she contested, the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, which was her first title of the year after losing three finals earlier in 2017.

By winning the Azalea Group, Goerges also completes the final four in Zhuhai, after American CoCo Vandeweghe, Australia’s Ashleigh Barty, and Anastasia Sevastova of Latvia won their respective groups yesterday to confirm their positions in the semifinals.

Goerges only needed to win a single set to make the semifinals, but she still fought for the victory. “I really wanted to win that match,” Goerges said in her press conference. “It didn’t matter if I had to win one set, but I don’t want to go out with losing the match and still being in the semifinals. I think that’s a bit weird.”

Mladenovic, meanwhile, ends her season with a 12-match losing streak, dating back to the CitiOpen in Washington, D.C. in early August. A wonderful start to the year helped her rise into the Top 10 for the first time in her career last month, but the Zhuhai results will cause her to be replaced in this elite bunch by Vandeweghe.

The Frenchwoman had nine double faults in the match, and could only win 20 percent of the points on her second serve. On the other side of the spectrum, Goerges had 31 winners, outnumbering her 23 unforced errors, and won seven of eight points at the net.

Goerges started the match strongly, outpacing the powerful Mladenovic on the forehand side in the first game, and clinching an initial break with a backhand winner down the line. After consolidating the break for a 2-0 lead, Goerges already had six forehand winners.