Kerber beats Halep to go 2-0 at WTA Finals
October 25, 2016
Top-seeded Angelique Kerber won her second-straight match at the WTA Finals on Tuesday, beating Simona Halep 6-4, 6-2. The 28-year-old from Bremen showed flashes of the form that brought her two grand slam titles in 2016 as she dispatched the Romanian in just under 90 minutes.
"I have much more confidence right now," Kerber said. I know how to play the big tournaments also mentally, how to win really tough matches in tough situations, like playing finals in big tournaments, big stages."
Kerber's sharp tennis forced Halep to take all the risks and although the Romanian threatened a comeback, in the end she delivered more unforced errors (35) than answers.
This is Kerber's fourth appearance at the WTA Finals, but she has never progressed beyond the round-robin stage before. Although unlikely, Kerber still has a mathematical chance of missing out on the semifinals of the elite $7 million (6.4 million euros) tournament after Madison Keys beat Dominika Cibulkova 6-1 6-4 in Tuesday's other Red Group match. Kerber plays Keys in their final group match on Thursday while Halep faces Cibulkova.
jh/pfd (AP, dpa)