Chinese star shows competitive spirit in WTA loss

Rising American tennis star CoCo Vandeweghe defeated China's #1-ranked Peng Shuai 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the first match of the 2017 Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.

The year-end finale of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tournament opened at the Hengqin International Tennis Center on Oct 31 with a dance show featuring flags adorned with Chinese characters.

A competitive spirit reared up in the three-player Bougainvillea Group as the fierce 115-minute battle between the second-seeded tennis ace and the wild-card entry unfolded. "A survive-and-conquer kind of day" remarked Vandeweghe referring to her swift counterattack after Peng took a 3-0 lead with the loss of just three points.

The two-time Grand Slam semifinalist overcame a slow start and two serve breaks in the first set. Then she gained momentum by breaking Peng's serve on her fourth chance in the lengthy eighth game. Peng, however, took control once more in the last two games to win the first set.

Peng Shuai [Photo courtesy WeChat (ID: WTAEliteTrophyZhuhai)]

Having found her touch, Vandeweghe opened a 3-0 lead in the second set which grew to 5-1 with a second break of serve. She took advantage of the last two break chances, launching a pivot attack in which she hit forehands with her shoulders turned sideways. That brought her four points and the third set.

"I think it's really a good experience for me," said Peng as it is her first time in Zhuhai. She cherished the wildcard granted to her and expressed hope she could focus more intensely in her second match. China's home favorite has made it to the finals of a WTA Tour event twice and reached a career high ranking of #25 in singles.

It was also Landwehr's debut on the Zhuhai courts. She climbed up to #12 on Oct 23, her highest-ever ranking. This followed her singles achievement of reaching the semifinals of both this year's Australian and US opens, and the quarterfinals of the 2017 Wimbledon Championships.

This is the third time for the tournament to be held in the emerging tennis hub in Guangdong Province. It runs through Nov 5 with 700 championship points up for grabs and total prizes of $2.28 million.

Players are selected by draw. Joining Peng and Vandeweghe in the Bougainvillea Group is sixth-seeded Elena Vesnina, winner of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.