Julia Goerges defeats CoCo Vandeweghe to claim WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai
Sunday 5 November 2017 14:43, UK
Germany's Julia Goerges stormed to victory at the WTA Elite Trophy on Sunday, hammering No 2 seed CoCo Vandeweghe in the final to claim her second title of the year.
The 29-year-old made an unexpected comeback in the first set to take down the fiery Vandeweghe 7-5, 6-1 in Zhuhai, China, as fellow German and tennis legend Steffi Graf watched from the stands.
With the title, Goerges is set to end the season with a career-high ranking of world No 14. She joins other Elite Trophy winners Petra Kvitova and Venus Williams.
"There is no better way to end this season," she said after the match. "I'm just happy. I think I have not really any words to describe right now. I think I still can't believe it... It's just amazing."
Vandeweghe started off strong in the first set - easily breaking Goerges in the second game and holding serve in the next to give her a 3-0 lead.
But Goerges clung on, finally breaking serve in the ninth game and setting herself up for a fantastic comeback. A fuming Vandeweghe shouted and threw her racket on the ground in frustration before finally losing the set 7-5.
Goerges went on to dominate in the second to win seven games in a row as Vandeweghe seemed to lose focus. The German claimed the match with a third break of serve in the second set.
Asked how she felt about receiving the trophy from tournament ambassador Graf, Goerges said it was "a very special moment".
"I think she was very happy to give the trophy to a German player," she said laughing, adding that the exchange, which included getting a picture, "was probably worth it more than millions".
Goerges had enjoyed a smooth road to the final, seeing off Slovakia's No 1 Magdalena Rybarikova, top seed Kristina Mladenovic and Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova - also in straight sets.
But it wasn't all bad news for Vandeweghe, who, by reaching the final, had already overtaken France's Mladenovic to secure her place in the world top 10 - her final goal of the year.
The season-ending extravaganza ATP Finals at London's O2 this November ends another memorable year.
All the action will be covered via our website www.skysports.com/tennis with live blogs, reports and expert analysis as the season reaches its climax.
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