Kuznetsova in semis, Muguruza out

SINGAPORE, October 26 

In the second pool match, Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska got her title defence back on track with an accomplished 7-6(1) 6-3 victory over French Open champion Garbine Muguruza, a result that eliminated the Spaniard.

After battling toe-to-toe for two hours and 17 minutes, Kuznetsova collapsed in a heap on the court after sealing victory on her fourth match point with a backhand winner down the line to finally break the Czech’s resistance. “With all the support of the crowd and my team, I couldn’t afford to let myself and everybody down so I had to fight,” twice Grand Slam winner Kuznetsova said.

“I haven’t been at my best in recent years but something changed this year... I enjoy my game, I enjoy the crowd and I feel blessed to be playing the best players in the world.” 

Kuznetsova was the final qualifier for the elite eight-woman event when she successfully defended her Kremlin Cup title on Saturday and the world No. 9 has shown incredible staying power to first outlast Radwanska on Monday and now Pliskova.

The victory had put Kuznetsova on the verge of sealing a semifinal spot at the year-end championships for the first time in six attempts and her berth was assured when Radwanska beat Muguruza in the late match. — Reuters