Reigning champion Svitolina outclasses Pliskova at WTA Finals Shenzhen

On Monday, defending champion Elina Svitolina kicked off Purple Group action by scoring her fourth consecutive victory over second-seeded Karolina Pliskova, 7-6 (12), 6-4, at the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen.

After dropping her first service game, Svitolina retrieved the break back in the fourth game to get back on serve. Both players held to send the match to a tiebreaker. There, they brought their A-game but it was the eighth seed who took the set on her seventh set point, having saved one herself earlier.

Getty Images

The Ukrainian carried over the momentum into the second set as she reeled off two straight games, taking advantage of a dejected looking Pliskova. A pep talk from coach Conchita Martinez in the changeover seemed to have worked for the 27-year-old Czech because she got herself back on serve right after to level for 2-2. That was short-lived, as Svitolina pounced in the seventh game to go up 4-3. Needing to fend off two break points when serving for the match, the 25-year-old was able to close it out after an hour and 53 minutes.

Svitolina, who has gone on to win the tournament every time she has beaten Pliskova, is looking for her first title of the season. She did, however, make a Grand Slam breakthrough by reaching her first major semifinal at Wimbledon, and backed that up with another final four run at the US Open.

The other Purple Group match will feature a first-time meeting between US Open champion Bianca Andreescu and Wimbledon winner Simona Halep.