Karolina Pliskova reached her second final in Brisbane after a 6-3 6-4 win over Donna Vekic as Aryna Sabalenka claimed the first WTA title of the season.
The Czech Republican broke four times as she sealed victory in 1 hour and 20 minutes to seal her place in another Brisbane final.
A 1st serve percentage of 70% saw her finish with the win and now sets up a great final with in-form Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko.
Meanwhile in Shenzhen Aryna Sabalenka won the first WTA title of the season in Shenzhen with a 4-6 7-6(2) 6-3 win over Alison Riske.
The first set saw both women feel each other’s game out as they shared breaks for 2-2 in the opening set as Pliskova looked to dominate on serve.
However Vekic lacked penetration in the back-end of the first set and the clinical Pliskova took advantage as she grabbed the crucial break for a 4-2 lead.
There was no retaliation from Vekic as Pliskova cruised to the first set in 39 minutes as she looked to start her 2019 season with a final.
The second set was a much better response from Vekic, who had a very good tournament to get to the semi-finals. The breaks were shared in the fifth and six games as Pliskova was looking to find a weakness in Vekic’s game to seal the match.
But in the end Pliskova used her experience to seal her place in the final after an immediate break back for a 4-3 lead. After saving four match points, Vekic could do no more as the world number 8’s mental composure was too much for the Croatian she claimed victory.
The Czech Republican will now look to win the title tomorrow against Lesia Tsurenko.
Sabalenka Claims First WTA Title Of 2019
Aryna Sabalenka claimed the first WTA title in Shenzhen after a three set battle over Alison Riske. The American came so close from taking the title away from the Belarusian but it was the rising star’s day as she won the third WTA title of her career.
After the win, Sabalenka gave all the credit to Riske for giving her a competitive match which went right down to the wire, “It was a tough day for us, especially to come back after the first set. She played unbelievable, an incredible match,” Sabalenka explained.
“She was putting everything in, down the lines, and she was playing really good. I’m so happy that I found a way how to win.”
Sabalenka will look to continue her momentum when she compete in a super-competitive field in Sydney.
