Angelique Kerber: No. 1 in the world, No. 1 in Dominika Cibulkova’s heart. For Cibulkova not only needed to win in straight sets on Thursday to have a chance at reaching the semifinals in Singapore, but she also needed Kerber to prevail in straights.
And that’s exactly what happened. Cibulkova’s 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory over Simona Halep, combined with Kerber’s 6-3, 6-3 win over Madison Keys, unlocked the only door that led the Slovak to the knockout stage of the WTA Finals: