US Open champion Flavia Pennetta has secured her eighth place in the WTA Race to Singapore and qualified for the WTA Finals in Singapore thanks to her 6-2 6-4 win over 21-year-old Daria Gavrilova from Australia in one hour and 31 minutes at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow. After the match the Italian has decided to retire from the quarter finals in Moscow to focus on Singapore. Reaching the WTA Finals is the best way to end her great career
“Qualifying for the WTA Finals is a dream come true and the perfect way to end an amazing season. It will be a wonderful way to say goodbye to tennis. It’s a spectacular stage to bow out on. Having won the WTA doubles title I can’t wait to make my debut in singles”, said Pennetta
Pennetta converted on her fourth break point in the 14-point first game of the first set. Gavrilova brought up a break point in the fourth game but Pennetta saved it to take a 3-1 lead. Pennetta went up a double break in the fifth game to pull away to 4-1. Gavrilova, who beat Maria Sharapova in Miami, broke serve on her sixth break point chance in the next game. Pennetta broke again immediately in the seventh game before closing out the set for 6-2
After calling a medical time-out to treat a bladder on her foot at 1-2 Pennetta broke to love in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead after Gavrilova made three double faults. Gavrilova broke back for 3-3 as Pennetta sent her forehand wide. Pennetta got another break in the seventh game for 4-3. In the 10th game Pennetta committed two double faults and was had to save four break points with her serve and two forehands before closing out on her first match point as Gavrilova hit her smash into the net.
Thanks to this win Pennetta is very close to securing her berth for Singapore. She would become the fifth Italian player to qualify for the “Masters” or ATP/WTA Tournament at men’s or women’s level after Adriano Panatta in 1975, Corrado Barazzutti in 1978, Raffaella Reggi in 1986, 1987 and 1989, Silvia Farina in 2001 and 2002, Francesca Schiavone in 2010 and Sara Errani in 2012 and 2013.
Anastasya Pavlyuchenkova, winner in Linz last Sunday, edged past 2015 Roland Garros finalist and second seeded player Lucie Safarova in three sets with 6-1 6-7 (2-7) 6-3.
Safarova just played her second match in the last 50 days after being hospitalized with an infectious disease which forced her to miss the post US Open season. She made her come-back to the court last week in Linz where she lost against Romanian Andrea Mitu. In the first set she was brushed aside by Pavlyuchenkova who dropped just one game in the first set.
In the second set Safarova missed three break points in the second game before before dropping her serve in the sixth game to trail 2-4. Safarova was on the verge of defeat when she went down 2-5 but she bounced back reeling off three games. Pavlyuchenkova took the 6-5 lead after saving a break point. Safarova faced a match point in the next game but was able to save it with an ace forcing the match to the tie-break. Pavlyuchenkova made two double faults and another error with her her drop-shot. Safarova won the set on the ninth point.
In the third set Safarova fended off three break points but Pavlyuchenkova got the crucial break in the fifth game at 2-2. The Russian player got a double break in the ninth game to seal the win. In the quarter finals Pavlyuchenkova will face Margarita Gasparyan
After the defeat of Safarova Angelique Kerber has secured her spot in the WTA Finals in Singapore. The German has reached the WTA Finals for the third time after qualifying 2012 and 2013. Kerber won four titles in Charleston, Stuttgart, Birmingham and Stanford.
Lucie Safarova currently holds the number eight spot but, after her defeat in the first round of the Kremlin Cup, she can be overtaken by Carla Suarez Navarro if the Spanish player reaches the final in Moscow
