VIDEO. The Brazilian tennis player wins Elite Trophy, WTA 2023

Today, the final match of the WTA Zhuhai took place in China.

On the court, Brazilian tennis player Beatriz Haddad Maia faced the Chinese contender, Zheng Saisai. These athletes are neighbors in the WTA rankings, with Zheng holding the eighteenth position, and Haddad Maia just one slot below.

Haddad Maia embarked on her tournament journey, starting with her initial group stage match against Madison Keys from the USA. Following that, the Brazilian athlete triumphed over last year's WTA Finals champion, Caroline Garcia, and in the semifinals, she overcame Daria Kasatkina.

Zheng Saisai, the recent champion of the Asian Games, advanced to the final with victories against Donna Vekic from Croatia and Latvia's Elena Ostapenko. In the previous round, she bested compatriot Zhu Lin.

The first set of the final was a true battle, offering both players several opportunities. Initially, Haddad Maia had break points, but it was Zheng who secured the first break in the fifth game of the set.

Subsequently, the Chinese player maintained a 4-2 lead. However, she then lost three consecutive games, with the Brazilian taking a 5-4 lead. Both tennis players held their serves confidently, and the set was decided in a tiebreak.

In the tiebreak of the first set, both participants displayed incredible fighting spirit. Haddad Maia had four set points, and her opponent had three, yet the Brazilian proved to be the stronger, winning the tiebreak 13-11.

After an 86-minute set, fans in Zhuhai, where the prestigious WTA 2023 Elite Trophy was contested, witnessed even more intensity in the second set, resulting in another dramatic chapter. Firstly, Haddad Maia went ahead with a one-break advantage at 3–1.

Subsequently, Zheng managed to recover, but it was short-lived, as her opponent again took the lead at 5-3. At 5-3, Haddad Maia was just two points away from a match victory, but she couldn't clinch it.

In the following game, when she served for the match, the Brazilian was again just two points away from victory, but with the support of the home crowd, Zheng fought back to level the score at 5-5.

Both tennis players, despite some challenges, managed to hold their serves again, leading to another tiebreak.

Zheng got off to a good start in the tiebreak, leading 2-0, but ultimately, Haddad Maia overpowered her, winning the match with a score of 7-6 (11), 7-6 (4), and claiming victory in the Elite Trophy WTA 2023.