By Claudio Landucci / Envoy special
Karolina Pliskova, number 4 in the world ranking, defeated her compatriot Barbora Krejcikova, who was better seeded, on the last day of the Teotihuacán group at the Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara.
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Despite the impressive comeback after falling 6-0 in the first set, Pliskova did not qualify for the semi-finals. Thus, the 29-year-old Czech says goodbye to the tournament with two wins and one loss.
At the end of the game, Pliskova spoke exclusively with Forbes Mexico and gave the following statements.
Forbes Mexico: Karolina, congratulations, you got a great comeback.
Karolina Pliskova: Thanks.
FM: Let’s start with the people in the stands; they were chanting your name and cheering you on throughout the game. What effect did it have on your game, especially after the first set?
KP: A lot, I have to admit because I think she was mentally and physically very down after the first set, I thought she was playing horrible and she was playing amazing so it was a combination of things. I thought, okay, this is it, this will be my last game and I will lose it in a bad way, but then people, especially after I won the first game in the second set, started cheering me on and yelling my name and they really helped me. come back to this match.
FM: You are here as the most experienced player in the tournament. You have already played the finals five times in a row. How does that condition your game against less experienced players?
KP: I think it can be anything. Some players, as you can see, are playing very well and I think it is because they are very excited, they are just enjoying themselves, without really thinking about the games, the results, whether they are going to lose or not. Like Badosa, who I see practically every day in the pool and he’s playing great tennis, so I think it can go both ways. But of course, experience in these types of tournaments, where you really have to think about the score and getting the win to stay in, can be very helpful.
FM: Women’s tennis is going through a great moment of momentum in terms of competitiveness and global impact. What do you think this is?
KP: I think it is because we have very good tennis players. Of course, all countries have great players, like mine; there are great Czech players and the level at the moment is great. It is very exciting for the fans that you never know who is going to win; There are so many young players, so many players who have never played here and they still have a chance to win this tournament and I think that’s exciting.
FM: Many young athletes and tennis fans in Mexico are following this tournament, especially now that it is here, do you have any message or advice for them?
KP: Yes, of course, it’s my second time in Mexico and I love being here, playing here, the people are amazing and I love the support I get from these fans. I would love to see them if I have a chance to compete in one more match.
Sacks ace with social cause
During the press conference, Karolina mentioned that she was proud to be able to find her game and get the victory after the first set. The queen of the aces He spoke of the process that involved returning to his usual level, simplifying his shots and taking advantage of the strengths of his game, especially the service.
With 11 aces, Pliskova managed to keep her serve during the second and third sets to take both sets 6-4. With these services I contribute 1,650 USD to the Red Cross of Guadalajara thanks to the ACEing cancer campaign, which contributes 150 USD for each ace during the tournament.
Despite having obtained two victories, it was the tiebreaker of the percentage of sets won that cost the Czech the qualification to the semifinals after the Spanish Garbiñe Muguruza defeated the already classified Annett Kontaveit in straight sets, to steal like this the second place in the final instances of the tournament.
The Spanish Paula Badosa, meanwhile, has already secured her classification in the second group of the tournament, while the last place will go to the winner of this Monday night’s match between María Sákkari and Aryna Sabalenka.
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