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By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday October 30, 2021

 
Anett Kontaveit

Anett Kontaveit's improbable late season run leaves her on the cusp of Guadalajara qualification at the Transylvania Open.

Photo Source: Transylvania Open

Anett Kontaveit’s run of torrid tennis continues. The Estonian, in the midst of a breathtaking run of form that has seen her win 25 of 27 matches since mid August, notched her ninth consecutive victory on Saturday at the Transylvania Open as she calmly dispatched Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson 6-3, 6-2.

But the Estonian’s work is not done yet. In order to qualify for the prestigious WTA Finals she’ll need to take home the title at Cluj-napoca, and two-time Grand Slam champion is standing in her way.


Halep, resurgent after finally getting healthy down the stretch of what was a disappointing 2021 season due to injuries, has torn through the draw this week, dropping a total of 12 games in four matches.

The Romanian owns a lifetime record of 3-0 against Kontaveit and she has dropped just 11 games in three straight-sets victories over her. But from a confidence perspective, Kontaveit is clearly a different player in 2021 than she was in any of their previous meetings.

"Simona is such a great player," she said. "I've lost to her quite a few times already, but I think I really am playing more consistently, playing a little better."

The Estonian, who started working with Dmitry Tursunov, the former coach of Aryna Sabalenka just before her streak started, admits that playing so many matches over the last few weeks has been draining, but she’s content to ride the wave and see where it takes her – she’s not ready to have her season end just yet.

"Of course, physically not easy, but I've been playing some good tennis and am really happy with the way I've managed to get through this week again," she said. "Just a lot to play for, and I think it's something to really enjoy and go for."


In order to block back the pressure of chasing the title and a first appearance at the WTA Finals, Kontaveit says she is just focusing on tasks at hand and not overthinking her current run, which has seen her reel off 14 consecutive wins indoors.

"I've really been trying to focus on what I have to do, and taking it match by match and just not thinking ahead too much and I think that's been the main thing that has helped me stay focused on each match, on the task that I have at the time."

 

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