Luisa Stefani and Gabriela Dabrowski defeated Su-Wei Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko 2/6, 7/6 (7-2) and 10-3 on Friday in Indian Wells to finish the WTA Finals group stage undefeated.
The Brazilian player Luisa Stefani and the Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski continue undefeated in the tournament that brings together the eight best partnerships of the season.
They advance to face Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, who finished second in Group 2. In Group 2, four other notable partnerships competed for the semifinal spots: Taylor Townsend (USA) and Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic); Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) and Cristina Bucsa (Spain); Ellen Perez (Australia) and Demi Schuurs (Netherlands); and Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani (both from Italy).
Townsend and Siniakova won all three of their previous matches against Stefani and Dabrowski this season, with victories in Miami, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon, TenisBrasil reported.
Stefani, a 29-year-old from São Paulo and the world number 3 among doubles specialists, is trying to reach her 32nd final on the WTA circuit and has 19 career titles. She was the runner-up of the Finals in the previous edition when she played alongside the Hungarian Timea Babos.
Back in it 💪 Gabriela Dabrowski & Luisa Stefani are looking to get back on level terms against Hsieh/Ostapenko.#FAGEWTAFinals | #TheUltimateStage pic.twitter.com/HNnMPbjoCp
“A LuÃsa está vivendo um ano magnÃfico,” Teliana Pereira told CNN Brasil, noting that the Brazilian player reached the semifinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments this season alongside Dabrowski. Ela e a Gabriela se completam em quadra. “Dá para perceber o quanto uma confia na outra.”
The undefeated group stage run puts Stefani and Dabrowski in contention for the maximum tournament prize of 1,500 ranking points and $725,000, as noted by TenisBrasil. Estadão reported that the pair had to work hard to overcome their opponents after dropping the opening set.
Hsieh and Ostapenko controlled the first set by breaking serve three times, including twice against Dabrowski in the first and fifth games. The top seeds reduced the deficit, but suffered another break on Stefani’s serve.
The unusual partnership with the Latvian’s very aggressive play and the Taiwanese player’s variations took a 3/1 lead in the second set and extended it to 4/2, while Stefani and Dabrowski ran the risk of a straight-sets defeat complicating their group situation.
Stefani and Dabrowski leveled the score in the eighth game before claiming control of the match. They earned a set point while leading 6/5 in the second set, eventually clinching the tiebreak 7-2 with three points on returns. The pair then dominated the match tiebreak 10-3 to seal the comeback victory.
Hsieh and Ostapenko finished the round-robin stage with one win and two losses, yet still have a chance to advance to the semifinals. For this, they need Belgian Elise Mertens and Chinese Shuai Zhang, already eliminated from the competition, to defeat Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic and Chinese Hanyu Guo. Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini advanced from Group 2 with an undefeated record.
Stefani and Dabrowski beat Su-Wei Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko 2/6, 7/6 (7-2), 10-3 on Friday.
Players who sweep the group stage and win the tournament can earn up to 1,500 ranking points and $725,000.
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