#WTA world number eight #KikiBertens finally got her 2019 season going as she overcame a disappointing Australian swing with a title at the #StPetersburgLadiesTrophy, producing a thrilling comeback against the in-form #DonnaVekic in the high-quality final.
Reaching a Premier final for the first time in her career, Vekic looked set to complete the huge win when she led 5-2 in the first set alongside a double-break advantage but lost 25 of the next 32 points and conceded the first set in a tiebreak to the higher-ranked Dutchwoman. Bertens rode on her momentum; avoiding a late collapse and closing out the win after an hour and 43 minutes of action.
Vekic was playing some flawless tennis in the opening 30 minutes but completely lost the plot as she hit 33 unforced errors — as many as Bertens would have hit as well. However, the world number eight elevated her level as the match progressed, and rose into the top-eight of the Porsche Race to Shenzhen leaderboard as a result.
Surprisingly, the lower-ranked Vekic came into the match as the favourite as she led their head-to-head 3-1 but Bertens defied the odds and hoisted her first trophy of the year. Her ability to dominate the hard-hitters on the slower-paced courts is incredible, and she is widely tipped to dominate the clay-court season as well.
Bertens also successfully exacted revenge for her heartbreaking loss at the Brisbane International in the first week of the year, having failed to convert two match points and ultimately falling to the Croatian in three tough sets. This time, even though she lost three consecutive games in the second set, she held her nerves and learnt from her experience to triumph.
Bertens initially came into St. Petersburg being winless through her past appearances, but she leaves this tournament as the champion this year. “Yes, it was great coming into this week, I was just trying to play some good tennis, getting my first win ever here in St. Petersburg. Overall it was a great tournament with some great tennis. It’s a great feeling to hold the trophy now,” said the eventual champion.
A piece of good news also arrived for both Vekic and Bertens’ fans: they have confirmed that they will be participating in the doubles competition of the BNP Paribas Open, and the combination of the two hard-hitting players are sure to attract many fans over considering this is the first time they will be forming a partnership after all their high-quality encounters previously.
Rarely would one be able to mount such an improbable comeback against Vekic, but Bertens was able to complete the job. “I didn’t start well. I was 2/5 down, I need to say Donna played a good match. I was just trying to focus a little bit more, trying to go for the shots. Then I started a little bit better, maybe that will be good for the 2nd set. But still I could turn around the first set. Very few points made the difference.” The momentum shift was relatively obvious as Vekic’s mind wandered off while being 5-2 up, losing 16 of the next 17 points.
However, it was an extremely encouraging run for Vekic as she continues to rise up the rankings with her strong runs. Defeating the world number two and recently-crowned Australian Open finalist Petra Kvitova comprehensively in the quarterfinals, the Croatian looked flawless all week until the final where she experienced the collapse.
The collapse may be treated as a lesson well-learnt as well — Vekic knows what to expect, especially regarding the mentality factor, when attempting to close out matches and would be a priceless addition to her experience. She will rise to a new career-high ranking of 25, with not many points to defend through the first half of the season.
Comments