BNP Paribas WTA Finals - Singapore - Petra Kvitova wins 2-0 (-126)
Let’s compare Aga and Petra’s results since the U.S. Open warm-up tournament in Cincinnati.
Aga skips New Haven and then promptly loses in the 2R at the Open to #39 Peng. It would only get worse as the ladies embarked on their tour of Asia. She lost in the 3R in Seoul to #43 Lepchenko after beating two players outside of the top 75. After getting a 1R bye in Wuhan, she lost in the 2R to #49 Garcia in a tough 3 setter that included 2 breakers. Finally, after beating Coco in the 1R in Beijing, she dropped a straight setter in the 2R to #44 Vinci. So, since Cincy, Aga has posted a 4-4 record with all 4 losses to players outside of the top 35.
Now let’s look at Petra. She chose to play New Haven and what a decision that was. After getting a 1R bye, she won 4 matches without dropping a set to take the title. After breezing through her first two rounds at the Open, she ran up against an upstart qualifier from Serbia, Krunic, who took her down 4&4. This early exit seemed to raise her focus for the Asian tour. She skipped Seoul and started out with a 1R bye in Wuhan. Petra would then run off 5 straight victories, dropping just 1 set in the process, to take the title. Many players have a letdown the tournament following winning a tournament. Not the case for Petra here. After a 1R bye in Beijing, she ran off 4 straight wins before falling in the finals to Sharapova in a tough 3 setter. So, since Cincy, Petra has posted a 15-2 record while winning 2 titles.
You really couldn’t have more contrasting forms from two top 10 players. On top of that, Petra holds a 5-1 H2H advantage with Aga’s lone win coming two years ago. Petra has beaten her twice since then, both in straight sets. Petra will be a major contender at this week’s Tour Finals and I expect that to begin with a solid dispatching of Aga in straight sets.