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Patna : World No 8 in WTA rankings Kiki Bertens, 27, Netherlands, and World No 30 Donna Vekic, 22, Croatia, in the final of St Petersburg Ladies Trophy, a premier WTA event, on February 3, 2019, evening, at Sibur Arena, St Petersburg, Russia.
Bertens, the 2nd seed, beat World No 10 Aryna Sabalenka, 20, Belarus, in the semi-finals 7-6, 6-2 on February 2, 2019, evening. Bertens fired 9 Aces in the match to 2 by Sabalenka. Bertens, however, committed 6 double faults to 4 by Sabalenka. But, Bertens won 4 break points to 2 by Sabalenka. Berten won 6 games in a row to 3 by her rival.
Vekic, the 8th seed, routed World No 97 Vera Zvonareva, 34, Russia, 6-2, 6-2 in the second semi-finals on February 2, 2019, to sail into the final of the tournament. Vekic won 4 break points in the match to none by Zvonareva, a former World No 2. She also served 2 Aces in the match. Vekic also won 5 games in a row in the match. Vekic’s winning percentage both on her first and second serve ( 86 % & 62 %) was much higher than that of Zvonareva ( 58 % & 47%).
Vekic had defeated World No 2 and defending champion Petra Kvitová, 28, Czech Republic, in the quarter-finals. Zvonareva had upset World No 12 Daria Kasatkina, Russia, in the QFs. Zvonareva had reached Wimbledon and US Open finals in 2010.