WTA: Porsche Race to Singapore: Advantage Pliskova, tired Bertens out in Linz

Kiki Bertens was eliminated at the WTA tournament in Linz in the round of sixteen. The number two of the tournament was defeated by Margarita Gasparyan in three sets.

By Jens Huiber from Linz

In the 64th singles match of the year the legs can get heavy. And it doesn’t help if you lead twice with a break – and then lose the first set 5:7. But well, for Kiki Bertens there is a lot going on in Linz, namely the first qualification for the WTA Final in Singapore, where you can bite your teeth. And then, after 2:18 hours, to be left empty-handed.

For the Dutchwoman it was about an improvement in the Porsche Race to Singapore in Linz, Bertens is currently in ninth place there, framed by Aryna Sabalenka behind and Karolina Pliskova in front of her. These two are currently struggling in Tianjin, where they face solvable challenges in the quarter-finals.

Margarita Gasparyan should also be solvable for a lady in the top ten of the WTA world rankings. The Russian had never won against such a high-ranking player until Thursday in Linz, but had to play her way into the 32 player grid after qualifying. But Gasparyan had been so successful in her last appearance that she left Tashkent to win the tournament.

It is precisely this person who would have helped Bertens in Linz, but she can write off the 280 points for the triumph on Sunday after 5:7, 6:2 and 6:7 (3). Gasparyan will face Camila Giorgi in the quarter-finals, anything is possible against the Italian.

This year Bertens has refuted the reputation of only being able to play well on clay courts, most clearly with the success in Cincinnati. There, the 26-year-old had defeated Simona Halep in the final and had travelled to the US Open as one of those players who secretly calculated their chances of winning.

In New York, however, the end came in lap three, an even greater disappointment than the end now in Linz. The only good news for Bertens: In Tianjin there will already be a possible meeting between Pliskova and Sabalenka in the semi-finals. So one of the two ladies has to be modest with a maximum of 110 points. Kiki Bertens only took 30 from Linz.