Vandeweghe defeats Ashleigh Barty, faces Goerges in finals

Zhuhai : No.2 seed CoCo Vandeweghe of the United States put on a powerful display in the semifinals of the Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai yesterday, dispatching Australian Ashleigh Barty, 6-3, 6-3.

The American advances to her second final of the year in Zhuhai, after finishing runner-up to Madison Keys at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford over the summer. Today, she will face Julia Goerges of Germany, who earlier dismissed Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia.

Vandeweghe, who will crack the Top 10 for the first time in her career in next week’s rankings, was untouchable during her first meeting against Barty. She served five aces and won 28 of 32 points on her first serve.

Even when she was not claiming points outright on her serve, her play was nearly impeccable -- 32 winners compared to only nine unforced errors.

“I didn’t do anything differently. Maybe just a longer warmup today, but my day was pretty much normal,” the American said. “I woke up at noon, stayed in my room all day, played some tennis. That was it. Just another day.

“I think my results through my whole career have always been early exits or I go deep in tournaments. I play better the more I play on the court. I like to compete. I feel more comfortable, more confident with my strokes.”

Barty matched Vandeweghe in high quality, with 19 winners and only eight unforced errors. But she was never able to get a foothold in any of Vandeweghe’s service games, and had to consistently face the pressure of hefty returns from the American which rarely missed the mark.

Both players started strongly on serve, combining to lose only four points when serving in the first four games. At 2-2, Barty fell into a quick hole, and although she served her way out of four break points, Vandeweghe garnered the crucial break on her fifth opportunity with a stunning backhand winner.