'Angry' Svitolina Tees Up Wang Clash In Hong Kong
Muhammad Rameez Published October 11, 2018 | 08:58 PM
World number five Elina Svitolina said she was playing "mean" and "angry" at the Hong Kong Open Thursday as she targets a place at the WTA Finals Singapore.
Hong Kong, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Oct, 2018 ) :World number five Elina Svitolina said she was playing "mean" and "angry" at the Hong Kong Open Thursday as she targets a place at the WTA Finals Singapore.
The top seed breezed through her second round tie to set up a crunch quarter final clash Friday with China's number one Wang Qiang.
The match will be a repeat of August's US Open third round contest, which the Ukrainian won in straight sets.
"I was really angry today," said the Rome champion, who is battling four other players, including Karolina Pliskova, for the final three places in Singapore.
"We're in the race for Singapore -- I want really bad to be there." The 24-year-old added she knew what to expect from Wang, who she said was helping spearhead the development of Chinese tennis.
"I'm just going to try and bring my best game tomorrow and try and play as mean as I played today." Svitolina looked in ominous form Thursday as she brushed aside Japan's Nao Hibino for the loss of just three games.
Her Friday opponent is also coming off the back of a hot streak which has seen her win two WTA titles in just four months.
Sixth seed Wang also only needed two sets to get past American Christina McHale 7-5, 6-1.
"I think I played really well tonight, so I have nothing to lose tomorrow," she said.
Now ranked 24, Wang is chasing more WTA titles to go with the two she picked up in July and September in Nanchang and Guangzhou.
She added: "I think next year the target is top 20." Earlier, last year's runner-up Daria Gavrilova admitted she had lost her concentration as she made hard work of dispatching unseeded Monica Niculescu over almost three gruelling hours.
The Australian needed a third set tiebreaker -- which she closed out with an emphatic smash -- to finally break her resilient Romanian opponent, whose forehand slice and confident net play unnerved the seventh seed.
Gavrilova started the match in cruise control but her game started to unravel towards the end of the first set as unforced errors crept in, and Niculescu fought back with an armoury that also included a powerful double-handed backhand.
"I probably was getting a bit too emotional and frustrated because I felt like I was dictating, but I was making too many errors," Gavrilova said.
"I stepped up my game but I wasn't really happy with the way I was going from super good to not great." The 24-year-old described Niculescu as a "fighter" but added she had not made it easy for herself as she ground out the 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3) win.
"I was losing concentration -- I was really more mentally tired than physically and that is probably where the errors came from." Gavrilova, the world number 34, has enjoyed an impressive run of recent form in Asia, beating world number 18 Jelena Ostapenko in Wuhan and stunning world number seven Petra Kvitova in Beijing.
But after two three-set matches so far this week, she now faces China's number two Zhang Shuai, who wrapped up a 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1 victory against the Netherlands' Lesley Kerkhove.
Speaking after the win, Zhang said she felt "everything is coming together".
She added: "I like playing Asia, I like playing China, Hong Kong -- I'm feeling happy here."
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Journalists call for global action to end Gaza’s humanitarian crisis
CM for generating opportunities to bring direct int'l investment
Pakistan retains position in FTSE secondary emerging market
High Commissioner of Malaysia hosts Iftar dinner reception
NEPRA announces 2nd quarterly adjustment in power bills with Rs 1.68 cut per uni ..
Hoopo Inc. Collaborates with SAU to Install Solar-Powered RO Plant
04 killed in Spain as Storm Nelson looms
Russian military jet crashes into sea off Crimea: Governor
Rain-windstorm/thunderstorm likely at various parts of country
Implementation of Sindh Agriculture Workers Act-2019 demanded
Pandemic accord talks heading for extra time
Khawaja reiterates PM commitment to judiciary
More Stories From Sports
-
Tennis: ATP-WTA Miami Open results: collated
6 hours ago -
Pak, NZ T20I series online ticket booking from tomorrow
7 hours ago -
Football: Italian Serie A table
8 hours ago -
Nottingham Forest's double European Cup winner Lloyd dies
8 hours ago -
Two more matches decided in Inter College Ramadan T-20 Cup
8 hours ago -
PCB dismisses FICA's claims of unpaid dues in PSL
17 hours ago
-
Sinner and Medvedev book Miami Open semi-final clash
17 hours ago -
Collins and Alexandrova fight into Miami semi-finals
20 hours ago -
Van Aert breaks collarbone, ribs in Flanders fall
1 day ago -
Van Aert in high-speed crash in Around Flanders race
1 day ago -
PCB announces inter-club One-Day tournament
1 day ago -
ICC delegation calls on PCB Chairman
1 day ago