WATCH: Post-match reaction to No. 1 Kerber’s commanding win over Halep

UPDATE: Kerber wins second set, 6-2

Kerber ran off five consecutive games before Halep got on the board with a hold at 0-2. It was but a momentary reprieve from Kerber, who demonstrated the requisite consistency and strength of a top seed, but also from herself. Halep leaked errors all day, in all situations and with all shots—forehand, backhand, return. And it wasn’t as if she was missing because she was hitting big.

“I know the court’s slow, it’s not easy to get through it,” said Halep’s coach, Darren Cahill, during a changeover. “You’re not going after it. I don’t care if you miss it. Swing out of your shoes, the next high forehands you get. There’s only one way to get yourself back into this match, and you know what it is."

Halep promptly followed that exchange with a dreadful return game, giving Kerber a 5-1 lead. Then, suddenly, she seemed to heed Cahill’s comments, swinging freely and without thinking of the consequences. Halep held for 2-5 and saved two match points with beautiful forehand winners. But the deficit proved too great, as Kerber held for the match, quelling any possible Halep resurgence.

Kerber moved to 2-0 in the round-robin stage; Halep is 1-1.

UPDATE: Kerber wins first set, 6-4

The world No. 1 led by a break, gave it back, but in the end asserted her authority in a 43-minute opening set. Kerber converted both break points she saw, and that was enough against an error-prone Halep. It wasn’t as if Kerber was decidedly sharper than her opponent—the German hit six winners to 13 unforced errors; Halep hit six to 16—and she made a lower percentage of first serves. But Kerber’s shots move through the surface with a greater intensity than Halep’s, and she used her forehand and backhand to open up the court. Both women are strong counter-punchers, but Kerber is the superior retriever, and it was a decisive factor in the outcome.

It’s the Red Group’s turn today at the WTA Finals, and the first match shouldn’t disappoint: world No. 1 Angelique Kerber takes on world No. 4 Simona Halep. Both players won their opening matches in Singapore, and the winner is virtually assured of a spot in the semifinals. (Halep leads Kerber in the standing by virtue of her straight-sets win over Madison Keys; the German needed three sets to beat Dominika Cibulkova.)

Kerber received the WTA’s year-end No. 1 award in a post-match ceremony. (She would have regardless of Tuesday's result.) The 28-year-old, champion at the Australian and U.S. Opens, is the first player besides Serena Williams to claim the honor since Victoria Azarenka in 2012.

You can watch that ceremony here:

Both players gave press conferences from Singapore after the match, which you can watch here: