Angelique Kerber recorded a solid 6-3 6-3 victory over Madison Keys and the straight-set win means that the German world No.1 takes Dominika Cibulkova by the hand into the WTA Finals semis.
In the first set, the WTA Finals debutante Keys recovered twice from a break down to get to 3-3, but Kerber broke twice more to strongly win the set. The sixth-seeded Keys opened the second set with a 2-0 lead, but from then on won no games, as Kerber took advantage of her lack of aces and numerous unforced errors that totaled 31 in the match as a whole.
Earlier on Thursday, the seventh-seeded Cibulkova beat Simona Halep 6-3 7-6(5), eliminating the Romanian from the tournament, but the Slovak needed Kerber to beat Keys in two sets in order to ensure the second position in the Red Group and a passage into the semifinals, where she’ll face White Group winner and so far the story of the tournament Svetlana Kuznetsova. (photos: Jimmie48)
