By Alberto Amalfi | Friday, October 27, 2023
Beatriz Haddad Maia beat Caroline Garcia 6-1, 7-6(4) to sew up a semifinal spot in Zhuhai and Veronika Kudermetova knocked Liudmila Samsonova out.
Photo credit: Lintao Zhang/Getty
Beatriz Haddad Maia is proving to be an imposing presence among the elite.
The 19th-ranked Brazilian arrived in Zhuhai on a four-match losing streak vs. Top 20 opponents.
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In Zhuhai, Haddad Maia is toppling the Top 20.
Haddad Maia locked up her WTA Elite Trophy semifinal spot stopping Caroline Garcia 6-1, 7-6(4) in Zhuhai today.
An assertive Haddad Maia broke three times and faced only one break point in a 97-minute triumph.
It is Haddad Maia’s second straight Top 20-victory following her opening win over 11th-ranked American Madison Keys.
The Brazilian left-hander has made a mark in her maiden WTA Elite Trophy appearance. Haddad Maia is already through to the doubles final partnering Veronika Kudermetova and is now through to the singles semifinals alongside Daria Kasatkina.
The sixth-seeded Kasatkina qualified for the semifinals yesterday beating Magda Linette to win the Azalea Group of round-robin play with a 2-0 record.
No. 4-seeded Liudmila Samsonova took the court today with a simple mission: Win and she’d be into the Zhuhai semifinals.
Samsonova came achingly close holding a 5-2 third-set lead and double-match point over Veronika Kudermetova only to see Kudermetova staged a spirited comeback.
Kudermetova saved two match points on Samsonova’s serve at 40-15 sparking a five-game surge for a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 victory that knocked Samsonova out of semifinal contention.
The fifth-seeded Kudermetova beat Samsonova for the third time in five meetings. The result means all three women in the Rose Group conclude round-robin play tied with 1-1 records sending Zhu Lin through to the semifinals as Rose Group champion based on best sets won percentage.
Meanwhile, Kudermetova, who partnered Samsonova to the Dubai doubles crown, will play for the Zhuhai doubles championship with partner Haddad Maia.
Jelena Ostapenko plays China's Zheng Qinwen with the winner securing the final semifinal spot.