In Tuesday’s second round in the White Group, Caroline Wozniacki earned her first victory at this year’s BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, beating Petra Kvitova 7-5 3-6 6-2, while Elina Svitolina is now the only player leading 2-0 in the group, as the Ukrainian overcame Karolina Pliskova 6-3 2-6 6-3.
Defending champion and second seed Wozniacki managed to beat the fourth-seeded Kvitova for the first time since 2014. After winning a close first set, Wozniacki felt pain in her left knee midway through the second set and Kvitova’s four breaks of serve enabled her to force the decider in which the Dane recorded breaks in the first and fifth games, eventually winning in two hours and 19 minutes. Wozniacki hit a total of 19 winners to 14 unforced errors, compared to Kvitova’s 40 winners to 40 unforced errors.
Kvitova is now 0-2 in the White Group, the only player with no victories in her group.
The sixth-seeded Svitolina edged past the seventh-seeded Pliskova in a match that was tight from start to finish. The Ukrainian scored 8 aces, two more than the WTA Ace Queen, and made a statement in Singapore by playing with great intensity and aggression.
This Tuesday’s results mean that qualification from the White Group comes down to Thursday’s matches. Svitolina is the leader in this group — her progress into the semifinals would have been certain had she defeated Pliskova in two sets, while the fact that she won in three sets leaves the situation in the group open.
