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The No.6 seed Daria Kasatkina on Thursday produced a stunning straight-set win over No.11 seed Magda Linette 6-3, 6-4 in the WTA Elite Trophy.
Kasatkina needed just two hours and 9 minutes to register a straight-set victory over Linette to reach her fifth semifinal of 2023. In line with her performance against Krejcikova, Kasatkina discovered that an aggressive strategy in which she committed to attacking her forehand paid off. She found 24 winners to Linette's 21 in a match marked by meticulous point crafting. Kasatkina was followed by No.3 seed Jelena Ostapenko, who defeated No.10 seed Donna Vekic 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in one hour and 56 minutes after trailing by a set and a break. Ostapenko stormed out of the gate with a slew of wins from every angle of the court, including an unexpected sliced backhand knife down the line in the second game. However, following an early break, Vekic's strategy of excellent serving and flawless play off the ground paid off. The Croat had six victories in the set compared to Ostapenko's 13, but she also had eight errors compared to her opponent's 15. At 4-4, Vekic secured the crucial break with a double fault and a netted forehand from Ostapenko. From 4-4 in the second set, Ostapenko went on to win seven straight games and eight of the last nine. She finished with 37 wins to 31 unforced errors, while a fading Vekic had 30 unforced errors to 22 winners. (ANI)
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