Thursday at the WTA Finals in Singapore will feature the final round of matches for the White Group. It is still everything to play for with all four players in with a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals of the event. Up first will be an all-Czech encounter between Karolina Pliskova and Petra Kvitova in what will be their fourth meeting on the tour. Kvitova has won their three previous meetings. Following on from that, defending champion Caroline Wozniacki will be hoping to end Elina Svitolina’s winning run. Svitolina is the only player in the group yet to lose a match this week.
White Group Standings heading into Thursday’s final round robin matches:
1) Elina Svitolina: 2-0 in matches, 4-1 in sets.
2) Karolina Pliskova: 1-1 in matches, 3-2 in sets.
3) Caroline Wozniacki: 1-1 in matches, 2-3 in sets.
4) Petra Kvitova: 0-2 in matches, 1-4 in sets.
Advancement scenarios for Thursday’s matches:
- A Svitolina loss combined with a Pliskova victory is the only way Svitolina would not advance.
- Pliskova needs to win to advance, but would also advance if she loses in three sets and Svitolina wins.
- Wozniacki needs to win in straight sets to advance, or would also advance is she wins in three and Kvitova wins as well.
- Kvitova needs to win in straight sets, and even then Svitolina must win as well.
Petra Kvitova vs. Karolina Pliskova
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Kvitova has won all three times the top two Czech players have met before. But since Petra won her fifth title of the year at Eastbourne in June, she’s just 9-9, and is now on a four-match losing streak. During that same time span, Pliskova has gone 20-10. Kvitova also looked pretty exhausted by the end of her three-set battle against Caroline Wozniacki on Tuesday. The slower court speed in Singapore will also take some of the sting off Kvitova’s shots. This is a great opportunity for Karolina to get her first win over her fellow countrywoman. However, Pliskova will know a win would advance her to the semifinals, while Kvitova can play more freely knowing she may not advance even if she does win. I just don’t think Petra has enough left in the tank to defeat Karolina on this day.
Caroline Wozniacki vs. Elina Svitolina
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The last time these two played was one year ago in Singapore, when Wozniacki dropped just two games in an easy victory that lasted less than an hour. Surprisingly, Svitolina has won the other three matches they’ve played, all of which were on hard courts. Elina has been the better player this week, though I worry the pressure of being so close to qualifying for the semifinals will weigh heavy on her. Remember, this is a player who is 0-3 in Major quarterfinals, and is yet to breakthrough on a big stage. For her sake, hopefully she’ll find solace in knowing she may advance even if she loses on Thursday, and knowing Wozniacki will feel the pressure of being the defending champion. Caroline’s defensive skills and lack of unforced errors can spell trouble for opposing players who get tight. I don’t expect Thursday’s matches to be straightforward, but I do expect Svitolina and Pliskova to advance out of this group. Based on current form, Wozniacki and Kvitova will struggle to do enough on Thursday to surpass them in the standings.
