She did not have the best of starts to the season but after successful results on grass, Karolina Pliskova really kicked into third gear in the US swing seeing her climb up the rankings steadily and qualify for the year-end championships. Currently ranked fifth in the world, the Czech star will be eager to make her impression on her debut at the WTA Finals.
Notable results to date
Pliskova is 42-20 this season and her best achievement was winning her sixth and biggest title of her career defeating then world ranked number two Angelique Kerber in impressive fashion in Cincinnati.
The Czech followed that up with her best run ever at a Grand Slam reaching the US Open finals, taking out then ranked number one Serena Williams in the process. Even though she could not follow up that achievement in the finals against Kerber, it was her best result to date and showed the world she can make an impact in the Slams.
Besides her title at Cincinnati, the Czech also had one other title at Nottingham in the grass season. She made the finals at the Premier event at Eastbourne but Dominika Cibulkova was the much better player that day. A Premier mandatory semifinal finish at Indian Wells was also one of her bigger results for the year.
Best results leading to WTA Finals
After a successful hardcourt season, she looked to bring that momentum into the Asian swing. Alas, she fell short in her first tournament in Asia crashing out to a qualifier in the second round in Tokyo after receiving a first round bye. She did not see much success in Wuhan either. She did go one better in Beijing but once again struggled against a seeded player going out in the round of 16. Pliskova will be looking to put that behind her and approach Singapore with a positive outlook.
Best WTA Finals result
Since it will be her debut, the Czech will come in with less pressure on her shoulders.
How Pliskova’s game translate to the surface
Indoor hardcourt may not be her natural ground, but Pliskova’s shots can trouble her opponents on any given day. Currently leading the charge for most aces, the Czech’s biggest weapon will help her get free points and to dig her way out of trouble in pressure situations. Singapore’s surface is generally slower which means less zip for her flat strokes but her booming forehands can still prove lethal.
Head-to-head against the rest of the field
When it comes to head-to-head against the rest of the players, the Czech trails in that aspect to almost everyone at a 1-4 with the exception of Madison Keys whom she has yet to play against. Garbiñe Muguruza is the only player she has a positive record with at 3-1. She is 3-5 against the world number one, Kerber. The Czech star has also only won once in five previous meetings with Simona Halep. Pliskova will want to avoid both Agnieszka Radwanska and Dominika Cibulkova in the round robin stage having yet to beat either of them, with her record standing at 0-6 and 0-3 respectively.