Vandeweghe reaches WTA Elite trophy final with easy win over Barty

Zhuhai , China: American tennis player and No.2 seed Coco Vandeweghe displayed daunting form to beat Australia’s Ashleigh Barty 6-3, 6-3 and reach the final of the Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy here on Saturday.

The world no.12 Vandeweghe dismantled Barty’s game with fierce serve and ground strokes to finish the match in 62 minutes, reported Xinhua.

Barty, who was broken in the sixth game of the second set, won five points in a row to save four match points at the eighth game, but could not stop her 25-year-old American rival from winning the final game at love.

The 21-year-old Australian found herself in trouble in the fifth game of the first set, where she saved three break points but fell on the fourth.

Vandeweghe earned 11 break points to Barty’s none and converted three of them.

In the final, Vandeweghe will meet No.7 seed Julia Goerges who brushed aside No.5 seed Anastasija Sevastova 6-3, 6-3.

Goerges, playing in front of German legend compatriot Stefanie Graf, showed great form from the start and broke Sevastova at her first serve game. She then never looked back.

The 29-year-old German fired five aces and extended her total for the year to 410.

But it was the quality of the second serve that was particularly key to Goerges’ victory as she won 76 per cent of her second service points — almost level with the 77 per cent of her first service points won.

Sevastova, of Latvia, faced an uphill battle throughout the match, failed to create any break point.

–IANS