From 32 to just 2 left. Battling through the tricky draw and conditions, only #WangYafan and #SofiaKenin remain proudly standing at the #AbiertoMexicanoTelcel as they prepare to battle in the final here in Acapulco. Two solid baseline hitters will face off in the championship match which is scheduled to start at 6 pm local time with Wang being in her first-ever career WTA final while Kenin looks to lift her second trophy of the year.
It has been quite a run for Wang — who never really seemed like a true title contender this week, even before her semifinal match yesterday. Ranked 65th on the WTA rankings, the Chinese 24-year-old has never broken into the world’s top-50 but after this spectacular week for her, she is projected to be ranked inside the world’s top-55. A win in the final will push her up to 49th, but she is definitely assured a new career-high ranking.
Wang started the week with a flawless 6-2, 6-2 win over Marie Bouzkova in the first round, a match where she committed few unforced errors and stamped all over her lower-ranked opponent who many thought could produce some tough resistance. Monica Puig’s retirement then handed her a free pass into the quarterfinals, where she beat the in-form Beatriz Haddad Maia in straight sets.
She went into the last four as a major underdog, having to go up against title favourite and the red-hot Donna Vekic. The Croatian had reached three WTA semifinals this year although Wang was not lacking far behind; reaching two of her own. Coming from a set down, she prevailed over the higher-ranked Vekic and stormed into her maiden final.
It has been an extremely outstanding year for Wang, who broke new grounds in her career once more. She started the year with a semifinal run in Shenzhen before reaching the last eight in Hua Hin and now her success in Acapulco is making 2019 a career-defining year.
It was a much trickier draw for Kenin but she was also the one who received more luck, ironically. The fifth seed progressed into the quarterfinals without winning a completed match — as Rebecca Peterson and Katie Boulter both had to retire mid-match respectively due to a virus which has been spreading around the grounds at the start of the week.
But when her opponents are not down with an illness, Kenin was forced to work for the wins as she had to battle through consecutive three-setters which ended 7-5 in the decider to reach her second WTA final of the year (and her career). She had to recover from breaks in the final set against both former world number one Victoria Azarenka and rising star Bianca Andreescu, recording impressive performances which perfectly reflected her fight and resilience.
Kenin is projected to reach a new career-high ranking yet again, with her silent rise being taken note by many tennis enthusiasts. Having taken then-world number one Simona Halep to a deciding set in Melbourne, the American is tipped to be one of the sport’s next biggest thing as she will rise even higher on Monday — a win would earn her a seeded position at the Miami Open.
Wang has been playing some of her best tennis throughout the start of 2019 and her unstoppable train does not seem to be coming to a halt anytime soon. However, she faces a tough task in Kenin, who is on-song thus far as well. Kenin has a wider variety of shots and showed her more experienced opponents what is truly meant by holding her ground at the nervy moments.
This will be the first meeting between both players and considering how well both are playing in 2019, this is going to be an interesting clash.
The American will come into this match as the overwhelming favourite, but judging by what Wang has done this week, anything is possible so a victory for the Chinese would not come off as a surprise although all good things will eventually come to an end.
Match Prediction: Sofia Kenin d. Wang Yafan
On the doubles alley, singles specialists Victoria Azarenka and Zheng Saisai are having some fun on the doubles court, saving a match point to reach the final where they will face third seeds Desirae Krawczyk and Giuliana Olmos. Azarenka, a three-time Major doubles finalist in the past, is looking for more match play just before the pivotal North American Hard Court swing.
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