Sloane Stephens was the queen of the court in front of a packed house at the ASB Tennis Centre in Auckland on Saturday afternoon, where she defeated Julia Goerges 7-5, 6-2 to capture her second WTA singles title - just hours after winning her rain-delayed semi final match against Caroline Wozniacki.
Stephens Clinches Decisive Break at 5-5; Ultimately Wins Opening Set 7-5
Coming into this final, both women knew the importance of getting off to a good start as the other has a huge serve and forehand, which can prove to be a lethal combination when on. Many tennis analysts and commentators including former world number seven Barbara Schett predicted that there would be very few rallies, and it would be all about first strike tennis. For the first set and a half, this was the case.
Beginning the showpiece in emphatic style, there was little to separate Goerges and Stephens. The first two games of the match were won by the server without conceding a single point, and only one point was won by the receiver in the first four games of the contest. However, in the games that followed, things began to kick into full year. Cranking up the heat on the receiving end, the German and the American were both looking to pounce on anything short, which included any weak second serves that landed around shoulder height. However, the server seemed to dig herself out of trouble time and time again, playing some clutch tennis under pressure to eliminate the risk of getting broken until the 11th game.
Stephens dominated with her slice serves out wide on the deuce court and down the T on the ad-court that set up easy, central forehand putaways, where as Goerges used her acute tactical awareness to construct her points, starting with her big first serve that gave her a chance to move well inside the court which eliminated the risk of having to defend so early in the point - one of the more vulnerable parts of her powerful game.
However, after having an abundance of tightly-contested service games, it was only a matter of time until someone cracked - but at the most untimely time. In the eleventh game, Goerges looked well on her way to a routine hold of serve before Stephens stopped her in her tracks, unleashing two monster forehands en route to clinching her first break of the match. From there, the fifth seeded American seemed to open up her shoulders, successfully serving out the opening set 7-5 with a big unreturnable body serve. Looking composed and reassured, a familiar sight all-week, Stephens was halfway home to a second career WTA singles title.
Stephens Captures Second WTA Singles Title
The second set started in similar fashion to the first but ended in significant contrast to the tight opener. After exchanging routine holds of serve, Stephens gave herself another look at a break of serve and seized her opportunities as soon as they presented themselves, thus breaking to open up a sizeable set and 2-1 advantage. In the games that followed suit, Goerges was desperately trying to make inroads into Stephens' service games but to no avail; the American was just too solid from the back of the court. As a result, her dominance on her own serve resulted in a shift in focus to securing a second break, which would bring her one step closer to the title. Up a set and 4-2 now, Stephens began to put her foot on the accelerator, pushing Goerges further and further behind the baseline which allowed her to dictate the majority of the points before securing a double break. Now within touching distance of the finish line, the 22-year-old finished off the job in emphatic style, converting her first match point with a big one-two punch to seal a 7-5, 6-2 victory over the German number four.
A Look at the Final Match Statistics
Overall, Stephens can be pleased with her performance in Saturday's showpiece statistically speaking - she won 78% of the points behind her first serve, hit one ace to no double faults, was never broken, and hit as many unforced errors as she did winners (18). From Goerges' side of the spectrum, her serving statistics were very impressive too - she won 74% of the points behind her first delivery and hit six aces to just two double faults. However, it was the winners to unforced errors ratio that really hurt her chances of winning a third career WTA singles title; despite blasting 18 winners past an on-song Stephens, Goerges hit 33 unforced errors. In order to win big matches like these ones, the 27-year-old will need to make a few minor adjustments to her game but she has the confidence she needs to do some real damage at the Australian Open along with Stephens - who is a former semi finalist.