WTA Elite Trophy 2023: Zheng Qinwen beats Ostapenko to set up an all-Chinese semifinal clash with Zhu Lin

Zheng Qinwen advanced to an all-Chinese semifinal match at the WTA Elite Trophy by beating third-seeded Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 Friday.

China’s Zheng Qinwen hits a return against Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko. | Photo Credit: AFP

 

Zheng Qinwen advanced to an all-Chinese semifinal match at the WTA Elite Trophy by beating third-seeded Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 Friday.

China’s top player will next face wild-card entry Zhu Lin, who qualified for the semifinals from the Rose Group after Veronika Kudermetova defeated fourth-seeded Liudmila Samsonova.

Zheng, who is ranked 18th, hit 11 aces in her win over the 2017 French Open champion. She has now won her last seven matches, including winning the Zhengzhou Open this month.

Kudermetova saved two match points in her 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win over Samsonova to deny her a semifinal berth. Already out of semifinal contention, Kudermetova trailed 5-2, 40-15 in the final set but rallied to win 19 of the last 23 points.

The result left all three players with one win each in the group, with Zhu advancing because she won more sets overall.

Earlier, eighth-seeded Beatriz Haddad Maia earned a place in the semifinals by defeating Caroline Garcia 6-1, 7-6 (4) to top the Camellia Group with a 2-0 record.

It was Haddad Maia’s second straight-set win of the week following her opening upset victory over second-seeded Madison Keys. The Brazilian will meet sixth-seeded Daria Kasatkina in the semifinals.

The 12-player tournament is the first postseason event on the women’s tour. It features the 11 highest-ranked singles players who did not qualify for next month’s WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico. Zhu, ranked 37th, is the final entry as a wild card.

The players are divided into four groups of three with the winner of each group advancing to Saturday’s semifinals. The final is scheduled for Sunday.