By Chris Oddo | Monday October 22, 2018
Kiki Bertens battled from a set and break down to knock off top-seeded Angelique Kerber on her WTA Finals debut, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The Dutchwoman, the first woman from her country since 1997 to participate in singles at the WTA Finals, earned her WTA-leading 11th Top 10 win of the season and her second career victory over Kerber.
It started as a rout in the other direction, with Kerber taking a lopsided opener in 30 minutes. The German added to hear lead with a break for 1-0 in set two and promptly consolidated, but Bertens hit back after a coaching timeout with Raemon Sluiter, cracking a forehand winner to level at two-all.
The influence of Sluiter is well-documented—the Dutchman has played a major role in Bertens’ revival in 2018, issuing her an ultimatum of sorts after she listlessly moved through the 2017 with very little lust for the sport.
As the legend goes, Bertens thought long and hard about her place in the game last offseason and came back at Sluiter with renewed vigor, ready to tackle new challenges in 2018.
"It was a slow start but I was really happy to turn around this match,” Bertens told Andrew Krasny on court after her victory. “I had a little chat with my coach when it wasn't going so well, so we decided to go a little bit more for my shots, play a little more aggressive and it worked out."
She was ready to tackle Kerber on Monday and took advantage of the opportunities presented. Kerber had three game points to hold for 4-4 in the second set but could not convert, thanks to constant pressure from Bertens, and eventually double-faulted to hand her opponent the break and a 5-3 lead.
Bertens held to 15 to seal the set and force a decider.
In the decider it was again Kerber who struggled to capitalize on chances after an early trade of breaks, as she squandered a pair of game points and ended up being broken by Bertens in the seventh game, giving the Dutchwoman a 4-3 lead.
Kerber had three break points to get back on serve in the eighth game but Bertens rallied and took the next five points for a 5-3 lead.
After a Kerber hold, Bertens served out the match, clinching affairs at the two-hour mark with a forehand drive volley.
Bertens finished with triple the winners of Kerber—33 to 11—and won despite 45 unforced errors against 24 for Kerber.
Bertens will rest and recover to face Sloane Stephens when Red Group play continues on Wednesday, while Kerber will next face Naomi Osaka.