By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, November 8, 2015
Venus Williams edged Karolina Pliskova, 7-5, 7-6 (6), to capture the Zhuhai title and secure her first year-end Top 10-ranking in five years.
Photo credit: WTA Elite Trophy/Zhuhai
Venus Williams turned final day into a Top 10 day.
A focused Williams captured her 48th career title—and secured her first year-end Top 10 ranking in five years—defeating Karolina Pliskova in the Zhuhai final.
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The top-seeded Williams scored a 7-5, 7-6 (6) victory to collect her third championship of the season following title runs in Auckland and Wuhan.
When Williams wakes up tomorrow, she will be No. 7 in the new WTA rankings.
"It's a great thing to be Top 10 now with the level of the game, but I'm still very hungry. I'm ready for more," Williams told the media afterward. "I've had so many experiences in tennis that I still expect a lot from myself. So I'm very happy to be moving forward, but I want to continue, and not stop here."
It caps a milestone weekend for the 35-year-old American.
Venus concludes the season with a 41-13 record—the first time in seven years she's won 40 or more matches in a single season—returns to the Top 10 17 years after she made her debut in the Top 10 on March 30, 1998 and becomes the oldest woman to reach the Top 10 since a 38-year-old Martina Navratilova's appearance in the elite group on New Year's Day of 1995.
Not a bad weekend of work for a woman who was initially undecided about playing the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai tournament.
The first meeting between the pair was a tale of two very different sets.
Streaking out to a 4-1 lead in the opener, Williams seemed in control. Pliskova, who hit seven aces, fought back to level at 4-all. Williams won three of the next four games to snatch a one-set lead.
The 13th-ranked Czech, who fought off 10 of 13 break points in the match, took charge with a 4-2 second-set lead. Pliskova built a 4-2 tie break lead and narrowly missed converting set point at 6-5 when her inside-out forehand strayed wide.
"Even if I didn't make it today, it was a great week," said Pliskova, who will represent the Czech Republic in next weekend's Fed Cup final. "Venus played an unbelievable match today. But I'm proud of how I played this week and hopefully we'll have more matches like this."
Williams responded ripping successive forehand winners, including a rousing forehand pass on match point to seal a major victory.
Ten of her 41 wins this season came in China.
"Seven weeks here in Asia and now I feel like it's my home" Williams said. "I'm so excited to win the first trophy in Zhuhai. All the players felt so welcome here and we appreciated all of the enthusiasm. To see every seat filled for every match, that's all the players and tournament hope for.
"Also congratulations to Karolina. She deserved to win too—I was really lucky to win at the end."