Anett Kontaveit is still unstoppable down the stretch of 2021. The No.8 seeded Estonian defeated No.3 seed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-0 at the WTA Finals in Guadalajara, which also marker her 12th straight win.
Kontaveit became the first player in the Guadalajara field to qualify for the semifinals with her straight-sets victory. She is guaranteed to finish in the top two of the Teotihuacán round-robin group.
“Of course, very thrilled to be in the semifinals. I thought I played a very good match. I think it was very important for me to be as consistent as possible. Took some time to get used to her serves. I felt like my game was getting better and better as the match went on“, Kontaveit said in her post-match press conference.
Kontaveit came into this match riding a career-best 11-match winning streak, which included title runs at Moscow and Transylvania, as well as a victory in her first round-robin match this week over reigning Roland Garros champion, Barbora Krejcikova.
However, Pliskova came in with a 3-0 head-to-head record against Kontaveit, so something had to yield. As it has been for much of the tail end of this year, Kontaveit had the last word, beating Pliskova for the first time in four meetings.
Anett Kontaveit is unstoppable at the moment!
The Cluj-Napoca winner, Kontaveit is now 28-2 across her final eight tournaments of this season and she owns a tour-leading 38 match-wins on hardcourts this year.
Pliskova, who is making her fifth straight appearance at the WTA Finals, was unable to convert any of her three break points which all came in a single game. It took Kontaveit only 57 minutes to collect her second win of the week and seal a spot in the semifinals, in her WTA Finals debut.
Words from the winner –
“I think I wasn’t thinking about the fact that I was 3-0 down in previous matches [against Pliskova]. I think every time you step on the court, you have a new opportunity. The previous matches don’t really matter. It’s a new day and you have to beat the player you’re playing against. That’s how I approach the match.”
“I think it’s just really trusting my shots a little bit more, just going for it, but going for it with margins. I think that’s been very important, not to go for too much, but still stay aggressive and be in charge whenever possible. When it’s not possible, just stay in the rallies, be as consistent as possible.”
The mentality with which Kontaveit approached the game is what made the difference for the Estonian. She decided to let the pressure off of her shoulders of the previous encounters between her and Pliskova. Despite suffering 3 losses against the Czech-Republican, Kontaveit took this as a new day, new opportunity to beat the player she is playing against.
Kontaveit will next face two time Grand Slam champion, Garbine Muguruza in the group stage who rallied to beat Barbora Krejcikova 2-6 6-3 6-4, to remain in contention for the title. To qualify for the semifinals of the WTA Finals for the second time in her career, the Spaniard needs a win on Sunday against Kontaveit and a Krejcikova victory over Pliskova.
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