Julia takes the trophy in Zhuhai

Zhuhai, November 5 

Germany’s Julia Goerges (in pic) stormed to victory at the WTA Elite Trophy, hammering CoCo Vandeweghe in the final to claim her second title of the year. 

The 29-year-old made an unexpected comeback in the first set to take down the fiery Vandeweghe 7-5 6-1 in Zhuhai. With the title, Goerges is set to end the season with a career-high ranking of world No. 14. 

She joins other Elite Trophy winners Petra Kvitova and Venus Williams. Vandeweghe started off strong in the first set — easily breaking Goerges in the second game and holding serve in the next to give her a 3-0 lead. But Goerges clung on, finally breaking serve in the ninth game and setting herself up for a fantastic comeback. A fuming Vandeweghe shouted and threw her racquet on the ground in frustration before finally losing the set 7-5. Goerges went on to dominate in the second to win seven games in a row as Vandeweghe seemed to lose focus. The German claimed the match with a third break of serve in the second set. 

Sock takes last ATP Tour finals spot with Paris title

Paris: American Jack Sock clinched the last qualifying spot for the ATP Tour finals when he beat Serbian qualifier Filip Krajinovic 5-7 6-4 6-1 in the Paris Masters final. The 16th-seeded Sock, 25, became the first American to win the tournament since Andre Agassi in 1999. — Agencies

Graf backs serena Williams to break Court’s records

Serena Williams can “absolutely” surpass Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles if the American returns to tennis after giving birth earlier this year, former world No. 1 Steffi Graf said. Williams has not competed since winning the Australian Open in January but the 36-year-old posted several videos on social media showing her hitting balls during her pregnancy. Williams was about two months pregnant when she captured her 23rd Grand Slam singles title in Melbourne, one short of the all-time record held by Australian Court. “Absolutely, yes,” Graf said. “I think a lot of it is determined on her drive and if that is what she wants to do.” Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles which was eclipsed by Williams in January. Williams told Vogue magazine in August about her ‘outrageous plan’ to defend her title in Australia, where the year’s first Grand Slam will be played from January 15 to 28. “It sounds from what I hear that she is looking to come back to tennis and, you know, everything that she has shown over her career just makes you believe that if she has that in her sights then she will go after it and achieve it,” Graf said. — Reuters