By Tennis Now | Friday, November 2, 2018
Garbiñe Muguruza confronted danger with defiance delivering a classic comeback in Zhuhai.
Muguruza fought off three match points sparking a rousing 6-7 (4), 6-2, 7-6 (1) rally over Anastasija Sevastova that sends her into the semifinals of the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
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The two-time Grand Slam champion dangled on the ledge of loss as the second-seeded Latvian served for the semifinals at 5-4 in the decider.
Muguruza denied each match point blasting a down the line drive to break back in the 10th game.
"These matches are the ones that really count," Muguruza said. "It's long, it's difficult, you have match points against you, you don’t lose your courage, you don’t lose your enthusiasm. And it worked today."
The semifinals are now set in Zhuhai, with Muguruza joined by Madison Keys, Ashleigh Barty and defending champion Julia Goerges.
Forward thinking played a part in the Spaniard's comeback. Muguruza won 21 of 24 trips to net and her willingness to attack at critical stages was crucial.
Muguruza completed round-robin play with a 2-1 record to win the Camellia Group and advance to Saturday's semifinals.
"I’m here to play good matches," Muguruza said. "I know tomorrow it’ll be a tough battle, but I’m sure this match will give me a lot of confidence."
A topsy-turvy final set saw Sevastova break first snatching a 2-0 lead. Muguruza answered with a three-game run before the Latvian again surged ahead.
After an intense Muguruza saved three match points to level the decider, 5-all, Sevastova held a break point, but the Spaniard withstood it to hold in the 11th game.
The 11th-ranked Sevastova held serve to force the final tie break.
A resurgent Muguruza raced through the final breaker belting a down-the-line drive to seal an epic comeback.
Earlier today, Caroline Garcia swept Aryna Sabalenka, 6-4, 6-4, in the last match of the Orchid Group.
Garcia's win sends Australian Ashleigh Barty into the Zhuhai semifinals for the second year in a row.
The Frenchwoman needed to lose less than seven games in victory to secure a semifinal spot, but dropped eight games in her final round-robin match.
"I wanted to win today, but I was not really thinking about qualifying for the semifinal," Garcia said. "I don't know how it will be if we were both winning 6-4, 6-4 actually.
"I'm happy with the win today. It was a good match. I played Aryna two times already this year and I lost both times in three-set battle. I played solid. It was much better than yesterday. So it's still a win, but, of course, it's disappointment to finish third."