Sloane Stephens vs Elina Svitolina (6-3, 2-6, 2-6)
“Elina Svitolina, WTA Finals champion” has a nice ring to it.
After going down to Sloane Stephens in the opening set of the WTA Finals in Singapore, the Ukrainian star staged the biggest comeback of her career to take down the determined American and secure what is unarguably the most important title of her career.
Since winning the Italian Open in May, the months that followed have been rough for Svitolina. However, she channelled all her disappointments in the Singapore curtain-closer and used it to fuel her undefeated run to the finals and to the trophy.
Highlights of the game
What seemed to be a match headed to a Stephens win quickly changed after the opening set. Stephens initially controlled the proceedings and won the first frame easily, but Svitolina proved her mettle as she stayed composed to claw her way back.
A good mix of groundstrokes, impressive serves and rock-solid defence helped Svitolina set up her comeback, and Stephens was left with nothing but disappointment after getting so close to the title in her first appearance in the competition.
Stephens, who reached the final of this year’s French Open, got off to a hot start. The 25-year-old American star jumped to a 3-0 lead and never looked back as she closed out the opener in just 46 minutes.
Svitolina showed nerves in the opener, dropping her first service game to hand Stephens a two-to-nothing lead. And while she racked up five straight markers at one point in the set, it was not enough as Stephens held on to take a one-set advantage.
It was a different story for Svitolina come the second set, though. She took command of the match and exploited Stephens’ forehand errors to gain a 3-1 lead.
Stephens would regain her stride in the fifth game of the second to cut the deficit to just one. However, Svitolina’s defensive prowess, coupled with well-timed crucial serves, allowed the 24-year-old Ukrainian to pull away for good and bring the game to a decider.
Accuracy, power and well-angled shots told the story of the finale. Svitolina opened the payoff period with a booming forehand winner, and that seemed to have decided the game as she went on to close out the tournament in style.
Svitolina went up 3-0 in the set, thanks to three straight volley winners. Stephens did pull back 3-2 to tighten things up, but the momentum was already on the Ukrainian’s side. Svitolina imposed her will and dominated the long rallies to take her first-ever WTA Finals title.
ICYMI! Elina Svitolina defeated Sloane Stephens in the season-ending #WTAFinals 🏆 to claim the biggest title of her career.
Congratulations, Elina! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/cqgmWt5XbN
— SBOBET (@SBOBET) October 29, 2018
With the WTA Finals 2018 results, Svitolina became the first ever Ukrainian to be crowned champions of the year-end affair. She is also now the eighth player to go undefeated in the tournament en route to winning the trophy.
“I think I have nothing to prove anymore to anyone,” Svitolina said after her victory. “It’s definitely a good statement for myself and good boost of – I can’t say confidence, because I try to always have confidence in myself, to have it is my personality.”
“I think for me it’s just that the third set really showed that I was mentally tough. That’s what made the difference.”
Key statistics
The WTA Finals 2018 odds at SBOBET had Stephens winning by a huge margin, but a poor service game and unforced errors doomed her in what could have been a dream debut.
Stephens won only 53 percent of her first serve points, while Svitolina took 65 percent of hers. They also had 12 break points each in the match, but Svitolina was far more clinical as she dominated by converting half of her break points.
Moreover, Stephens had plenty of mistakes, particularly in the final two sets. In fact, she had 18 unforced errors in the second while Svitolina only had six, effectively handing the momentum to the reigning Italian Open champ.
With the victory, Svitolina has now won 13 of 15 finals she has played in. It also marks a ninth straight victory in finals matches, with her last defeat in a final coming in 2016 at the Zhuhai tournament.
What’s next?
Svitolina is set to end the year fourth in the rankings, a three-place jump from his previous rank. Now, the mission for her next season is to improve on the Grand Slams, having failed to move past the quarter-finals of all the major events.
Stephens, meanwhile, will remain at sixth and will be hopeful for next campaign as she continues her rise.
For the WTA Finals, the tournament is set to take place in Shenzhen, China next year. This year’s competition is the final instalment of the event in Singapore as the tournament enters a 10-year run in the Chinese city.
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