The Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia inaugurated her record of victories this year by defeating Chinese Qinwen Zheng in doubles 7-6 in the final of the Zhuhai Elite Trophy, a WTA B Finals format tournament reserved for players ranked from 8 to 20 in the world rankings.
It took Haddad nearly three hours to defeat Zheng and end a difficult seasondue to injuries and an accident at home, where after losing in the semifinals of Roland Garros against Polish Iga Swiatek, he has not gone past the quarterfinals in ten tournaments so far in Zhuhai.
Qinwen Zheng, 18th in the world, started as a slight favorite, as his season finale was impeccable. She won gold at the Asian Games and two weeks ago she won the Zhengzhou tournament, her first WTA 500. Her winning momentum, eight wins in the last eight matches, is not enough.
The experience of the woman from São Paulo, 19th in the ranking and seven years longer than her rival in the professional circuit, clearly prevailed in the resolution of both sets. In the first he came back from 2-4 and saved two set points before winning it. In the second he squandered a 5-3 lead and Zheng forced a tiebreaker, but the Chinese arrived exhausted and Haddad managed his advantages well to claim his first title of the year.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
