Angelique Kerber closes in on Singapore semi-final spot

25 October 2016 04:23

World number one Angelique Kerber won her second match of the WTA Finals to close in on a semi-final spot in Singapore.

The German had only won two matches in three previous appearances at the season-ending tournament but, at the climax of her sensational year, Kerber is stamping her authority on proceedings.

After a narrow win over Dominika Cibulkova on Sunday, Kerber defeated third seed Simona Halep 6-4 6-2.

It was not quite as straightforward as the scoreline suggested but, from 3-4 and facing break point, Australian and US Open champion Kerber won nine of the final 11 games.

The result in the day's other match, where Madison Keys defeated Cibulkova 6-1 6-4, means Kerber has not yet secured her place in the last four but she is clearly in pole position in the Red Group.

Keys was far too error-prone in her first match against Halep but showed she is now feeling at home with a much better performance on Tuesday.

The young American hit 16 winners to just one from Cibulkova in the opening set and a single break of serve proved enough in the second.

Despite losing her opening two matches, Cibulkova could still progress to the semi-finals if she beats Halep on Thursday.

Wednesday sees the second matches in the White Group take place, with Svetlana Kuznetsova facing Karolina Pliskova before Agnieszka Radwanska meets Garbine Muguruza.

Source: PA