By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, October 21, 2017
A commanding Julia Goerges crushed Daria Kasatkina, 6-1, 6-2, in the Moscow final for her first title in six years.
Photo credit: Kremlin Cup Facebook
Julia Goerges stared down the service box on championship point as if contemplating a moment that was six years in the making.
Then Goerges slashed an ace down the middle punctuating a superb performance with a stirring style point.
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Bursting out of the blocks with a five-game run, Goerges dismissed Daria Kasatkina, 6-1, 6-2, soaring to her third career title in Moscow.
The 28-year-old German was both overwhelming and overwhelmed.
An emotional Goerges covered her face with her hand and shed tears before wrapping Kasatkina in an emotional embrace.
“It just feels amazing,” Goerges said afterward. “It’s been six years now and I’ve been working hard for this moment here and I’m just so happy and emotional now. At the same time, it means a lot that I can share this moment with Dasha.”
Contesting her 10th career final, Goerges played near-flawless tennis throughout a 66-minute thrashing claiming her first title since she won the 2011 Stuttgart championship on red clay.
Contesting her fourth final of the season, Goerges converted four of six break points in one of the most meaningful matches of her career.
The victory will vault Goerges past Fed Cup teammate Angelique Kerber as the top-ranked German woman, ending the former world No. 1’s 284-week run as Germany’s highest-ranked woman—a streak that stretches back to May 14, 2012.
Seven of the top eight seeds fell by the quarterfinals, but Goerges was undeterred.
Hammering her forehand into the corners, Goerges blistered to a 5-0 lead after 18 minutes as Kasatkina, playing her first Moscow singles final, looked powerless to pause the onslaught before her home crowd.
Kasatkina called for her coach then held serve for the first time for 1-5.
Thumping a smash, Goerges earned set point and sealed the 24-minute opener with a service winner.
Goerges hit five times as many winners as Kasatkina—15 to 3—dictating play with her forehand throughout the opening set.
The 28th-ranked Russian, who had not dropped a set in four wins en route to the final, showed signs of life with a two-ace hold to start the second set.
That was a brief reprieve. Goerges converted her third break for 2-1 when Kasatkina netted a backhand and bounced her racquet to the court in disgust.
Firing a forehand winner down the line, Goerges backed up the break for 3-1.
While Kasatkina lifted her level, it wasn’t enough to slow the powerful German.
Whipping an inside-out forehand brought Goerges another break point and she broke for 5-2 when Kasatkina scattered her second double fault.
Scalding her sixth ace down the middle, Goerges completed a commanding victory. She joined Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Karolina Pliskova as just the fourth women since 2008 to hit 400 or more aces in a single season.