Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Zheng Qinwen fought through a tough, 3-hour and 19-minute battle to hold off Zhu Lin on Saturday in the semifinals of the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, China.
Seventh-seeded Zheng beat her Chinese counterpart Lin 7-5, 4-6, 6-1. The match featured an 80-minute first set highlighted by an 18-minute service hold by Qinwen for 4-3 in which she saved six break points.
Qinwen will next face No. 8 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil, who easied past No. 6 seed Daria Kasatkina of Russia 6-4, 6-1. Haddad Maia needed just an hour and 33 minutes to beat Kasatkina for the second time this year, winning 80 percent of her first-service points in the match.
The Zhuhai final will be the first meeting between Qinwen — who has now won eight straight matches –and Haddad Maia, who has yet to drop a set in the tournament.
–Field Level Media