Caroline Garcia says her run to the semi-finals of the WTA Finals in Fort Worth is further proof that her game style is heading in the right direction.
The world No.6 sealed her place in the last four of the tournament on Saturday after edging out Daria Kasatkina 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(5), in a roller-coaster encounter. Garcia boasted a break advantage in the opener before losing the set. Then in the decider, she was also a break up twice before being pegged back by the Russian. Eventually, she prevailed in the tiebreaker on her second match point.
“It was a very big match, for sure,” Garcia said afterwards. “I started the first set okay, but then I got pretty nervous, and kind of had a crisis of panic. I kind of lost my mind a little bit because she’s (Kasatkina) is bringing back a lot of balls and I went for too much.”
“I managed to get back more calm and do more controlled tennis. The second set was definitely very good and the third set was just a battle.”
Garcia’s latest win saw her hit a total of 42 winners against 48 unforced errors as she converted eight out of her 14 break point opportunities. She now leads Kasatkina 2-1 in their head-to-head.
It is the second time the Frenchwoman has reached the semi-final stage at the WTA Finals after doing so the last time she played the event in 2017. Garcia is only the fifth player in the event’s history to have reached the last four on her first two appearances.
2022 has been very much a comeback year for the 29-year-old who had a WTA ranking of 74 back in January. She has surged up the standings after winning titles in Bad Homburg, Warsaw and Cincinnati. Making Garcia the only female player this season to have won titles on three different surfaces. Then at the US Open, she reached the semi-finals in what was her best-ever performance at a Grand Slam event.
“It’s definitely a great achievement. I was already very proud to be in the top eight and to be able to go through the group, it’s even better.” She commented on her performance at the WTA Finals.
“I started (2022) very far from being in the top 10 or top eight, and made my way to it and played a lot of matches. Today it’s one more thing that proves to me my game style is working and I have to keep going that way.”
Bidding to become the first player from her country to reach the title match at the WTA Finals since 2006, Garcia will take on Maria Sakkari on Sunday. Sakkari achieved a perfect 3-0 record in her group with wins over Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka. The Greek is yet to lose a set in the tournament.
“She’s a player of big moments. She’s proving it once again, making the semifinal again and it’s going to be a big match. She’s a way different player than the one I played (Kasatkina). Very powerful and moves well. So it’s going to be a good challenge again.” Garcia said of Sakkari.
Garcia leads Sakkari 2-0 in their head-to-head.
