By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Driven to the edges of the alley by the US Open champion, a defiant Angelique Kerber kept digging out replies to everything Naomi Osaka threw at her.
Even when blasted off the court, Kerber conjured counterstrike solutions.
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A battle of Grand Slam champions delivered major fireworks as the oldest woman in the Singapore field fought off the youngest.
The 30-year-old Kerber kept her WTA Finals hopes alive edging the 21-year-old Osaka, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
"Naomi is such a great opponent; she played unbelievable," Kerber told Andrew Krasny afterward. "I think we both played on a high level tonight. I just try to enjoy as much as I can playing here."
This was a topsy-turvy match with sudden surges, aches and pains and superb shotmaking from both sides. Osaka, who dropped to 4-3 in three-setters this season, sometimes clutched at her left hamstring.
The top-seeded Kerber showed plenty of grit and resilience fending off 13 of 18 break points and apparent lower-back pain before a packed crowd that included Hall of Famers Chrissie Evert and Kim Clijsters seated side-by-side in the front row.
Kerber, who squandered a one-set, one-break lead bowing to Kiki Bertens in her Red Group opener, served for a straight-sets win at 5-4 in the second set today, but the explosive Osaka ran off four straight games forcing a decider.
"I think that I fought really well and also in the second set it was really a close set," Kerber said. "I had my chances and she played unbelievable in the important moments. In the third set, I think just one or two points decided it. It feels great."
Prevailing in a physical two-and-a-half hour triumph levels Kerber's record at 1-1 in the round-robin event, while Osaka fell to 0-2 in Red Group play following her opening loss to Sloane Stephens.
Kerber and Stephens are set to square off on Friday.
A clash of the Wimbledon and US Open champions—both clad completely in black—presented a stark contrast in styles and strikingly similar serving starts.
The pair traded jittery love breaks to open.
Early on, Osaka had mixed results off her inside-out forehand: when she stepped into the strike she delivered a kill shot and when she failed to impart enough topspin it sailed on her. Netting a backhand, Osaka gifted the third straight break.
Using her legs as leverage, Kerber was driving shots with more vigor stamping the first hold of the match then earning break point in the fifth game.
Osaka erased it with a creative forehand drop volley, saved a second break point with a swinging backhand drive volley and thumped a 111 mph serve winner for 2-3.
Straddling the baseline, Kerber tried to take the ball on the rise and limit Osaka's reaction time. When Kerber held the line, she was redirecting drives sharply and winning most of the longer exchanges.
The 21-year-old Japanese produced moment of glittering shotmaking, including running down a fluttering drop shot and nudging a winning reply, as she held forcing Kerber to serve for the set at 5-4.
Again Kerber tested Osaka with a drop shot and again the world No. 4 met the challenge sliding a reply down the line for triple break point.
Tugging on her black visor, Kerber fought off all three then saved a fourth break point on a netted forehand. A fan waved a German flag in the crowd as Kerber fended off a fifth break point.
Struggle merely strengthened Kerber, who stared down all that pressure—five break points in all—and stung a slice serve out wide to close a tense 47-minute opener.
Striking cleaner combinations, Kerber committed eight unforced errors, half of Osaka's unforced error count in the set.
Undeterred, Osaka amped up the aggression earning triple break point for the second straight game. This time, she blasted a backhand down the line breaking for a 2-0 second-set lead.
Resetting, Kerber played her lefty forehand crosscourt to Osaka's two-handed backhand exerting that probing pattern to draw the error and break back in the third game.
The power disparity between Slam champions was most evident on Kerber's second serve. Osaka was often three feet inside the baseline hammering returns as she broke again for 3-1.
The good news for Osaka: She was ripping her returns building a lead. The bad news: Osaka was clutching at the back of her left leg at times as if feeling a hamstring strain. When Osaka missed a backhand to give back the break she dropped to her knees as if toppled by the transgression.
The top seed stamped successive love holds leveling after eight games.
Sprinting across the Singapore sign, Kerber swept a stunning forehand pass crosscourt for triple break point that left Osaka dazed. Spitting up a double fault to donate the break at love, Osaka was reeling as Kerber surged through 10 consecutive points to serve for the match at 5-4.
Cornered by Kerber, Osaka answered blasting her way to triple break point. Kerber curled an angled forehand to save the first, but couldn't withstand three phenomenal forehands from Osaka, who broke back to even it at the 90-minute mark.
Throwing down an ace, Osaka spiked a roar from the crowd with a love hold for 6-5.
A rattled Kerber shouted in stress as Osaka buzzed another booming drive down the line for set point. When Kerber flattened a drive into net, Osaka had forced a third set for the first time in five matches.
The 20-year-old tore through her fourth straight game to start the final set.
A frustrated Kerber was talking to herself between points trying to fan the competitive fires. Kerber clawed through a tough hold to even the final set after four games.
Shot selection cost Osaka the break in the seventh game. A jolting serve set up what should have been a routine put away on game point. But Osaka played her drive crosscourt where Kerber was waiting with a tricky lob. The shot extended the game and when Kerber twisted a pass near Osaka's ankles, she had the critical break for 4-3.
Grabbing at her lower back at times, Kerber staved off break points exploiting netted errors to hold firm in the eighth game.
Serving for the match again nearly an hour after she served for it in the second set, Kerber elicited netted backhand errors earning double match point at the two hour, 29-minute mark.
The top seed dug in and played outrageous defense flicking forehand after forehand to extend the point. Kerber was off the court in the doubles alley when Osaka netted a backhand sitter ending a grueling fight.