WTA Tianjin: Watson and Peterson in the final
Heather Watson and Rebecca Peterson made it into the final of the WTA International tournament in Tianjin. While the British girl has found her way back to her best times, the Swedish girl is in a better mood than ever.
by Robert M. Frank
last edit: Oct 12, 2019, 08:44 pm
Heather Watson (WTA 125) and Rebecca Peterson (WTA 59) have chosen the two finalists at the $ 500,000 hard court tournament. While Peterson prevailed against Tunisian Ons Jabeur (WTA 61) 0: 6, 6: 4, 7: 5 in the semifinals, Watson won 6: 1, 6: 4 against Russian Veronika Kudermetova (WTA 45 ).
For Watson, who was number 38 almost five years ago, the final in the Chinese city is the first final since Monterrey in 2016. Should the 27-year-old Brit against Kirsten Flipkens as well as in Monterrey and at her two previous tournament titles in 2015 in Hobart and winning in 2012 in Osaka against Madison Brengel and Chang Keichen, on the one hand you wave to the fourth WTA success. On the other hand, the right-handed woman living in Florida would once again oppose her sense of achievement in her long-lasting form crisis. If they succeed in Tianjin, they will return to the top 75.
Peterson's second title in China in 2019
Her opponent Peterson, whom Watson has never met on the WTA tour, will have something against it in the final on Sunday (not before 7.30 a.m.CEST). The 24-year-old Swede has been in a good mood for weeks and has at the tournament with the former world number one Venus Williams (WTA 51), the two Chinese Xin Yu Wang (WTA 153) and Yafan Wang (WTA 47), Yulia Putintseva (WTA 36) and recently defeated some top players in the semi-final promoted Jabeur. A success in the final against Watson would be Peterson's second career title after beating Nanchang five weeks ago. Likewise, the second title on Chinese soil within a year, which the right-hand woman from Stockholm would bring her personal career high to the top 45 in the ranking.