Brazilian claims her biggest title over a gallant Qinwen Zheng in a thrilling final.

Zhuhai; Sunday, October 29, 2023

Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia has capped a history-making season by clinching the biggest title of her career in the Huafa Technology WTA Elite Trophy final in Zhuhai on Sunday.

The 27-year-old, who became the first Brazilian woman to reach a major semifinal in the Open era at Roland Garros in June, defeated local star Qinwen Zheng in a gripping decider.

The left-hander, who will move to a ranking of No.11, held her nerve to win a superb clash against the gallant Zheng 7-6 (11) 7-6 (4) in a match that lasted 2 hours and 51 minutes.

She later returned to the court to clinch the doubles title as well alongside Veronika Kudermetova in the lucrative US$2.6 million tournament.

Haddad Maia joins former champions including Venus Williams, Ash Barty and Aryna Sabalenka on the Huafa Technology WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai honor roll.

“It feels great. I am excited. I am happy. I think all of us from our team deserve it because we worked very hard,” Haddad Maia said.

“In tennis, everything changes very fast and even with the results we did not get in the last few weeks, we were trying to push ourselves and (this is) the gift we got because of that, so I am happy.”

The longest straight sets of the year, it was a compelling decider to conclude what has been a tremendous week of elite action at the Hengqin International Tennis Center.

The scoreline demonstrates just how evenly matched Haddad Maia, who claimed her third WTA Tour title and her first since Birmingham last year, and Zheng were throughout the final.

The opening set lasted 86 minutes, with both players exchanging service breaks during the set and also holding multiple set points apiece in a tiebreaker that lasted 24 points.

Haddad Maia, who has regained her best form after injuring her hand in a freakish accident in Mexico last month, ultimately seized the advantage on her fourth set point.

Similarly to the first set, another even battle unfolded in the second set.

The local favorite experienced difficulties on serve during the second set, was battling fatigue but continued to fight with verve while cheered on by a passionate home crowd.

Zheng, whose eight match winning streak which included a success at the Zhengzhou Open is now at an end, moved to within two points of extending the final when leading 6-5.

In the tiebreaker, Zheng’s problems on serve returned and Haddad Maia, who showed great poise as she closed in on winning her biggest title to date, finished the match in great style.

“I was trying to be as aggressive as I was all week. My mentality was very important. I was trying to be patient when things were not going the way I wanted,” she said.

“It is a very special week for me. When I came to Asia, I had stitches in my finger for the first round in Beijing and now I am finishing the season with the trophy in my hand.

“I am very happy and proud of what me and my team did during the last couple of weeks.”

Similarly to Haddad Maia, Zheng has enjoyed a breakout season, having claimed a maiden WTA Tour title in Palermo, a second in Zhengzhou and also the Asian Games gold medal.

After testing round robin wins over Donna Vekic and Jelena Ostapenko and a marathon victory over compatriot Lin Zhu in the semifinals, Zheng felt below peak fitness in the final.

She said she discussed with her team the prospect of retiring but was determined to give it her best effort and ensure she put on a good show for the Chinese fans in Zhuhai.

“Well I think in the final my body did not allow me to give 100 percent, but I gave all of what I had today. I think she played really well today. We gave a great match for the fans,” she said.

“Of course it is a pity, because even like that I got a lot of great chances in the first set and second set as well. It is just a pity for me today to miss some opportunities.”

The WTA Tour Newcomer of the Year in 2022, Zheng said she had learned a lot during a season of “ups and downs” and now feels more mature and clinical in her decision making.

“The season, a lot of things happened to me, not only on the tennis side, but also outside of tennis,” she said.

“This gave me a lot of improvement in my mentality, because I really had to learn a lot to face the problems on court and problems outside of the court. This kind of thinking is also going to help me a lot in tennis, to make better decisions.

“First of all, I am going to rest for a week and then be ready 100 percent to push in the pre-season, because it is very important to get a lot of fitness and a lot of hard work done for next season.”

After a brief break, Haddad Maia returned to the court alongside Kudermetova and again rose to the occasion, with the pair clinching a 6-3 6-3 win over Miyu Kato and Aldila Sutjiadi.