Two stars of women's tennis at the moment -- World No 1 Angelique Kerber and World No 4 Simona Halep -- lock horns in their second match of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore on Tuesday. They are meeting for the fifth time this year and Romanian Halep already has a 4-3 advantage over the German in their overall head-to-head record.
While Kerber, 28, got past Dominika Cibulkova in a three-setter in her opening match of the tournament, Halep beat Madison Keys in straight sets, to notch up her fifth career WTA Finals win.
The 25-year-old Romanian may have a better head-to-head record, but even she knows that Kerber, ranked numero uno, will not be an easy challenge by any means. Both Kerber and Halep can reach the semis of the WTA Finals 2016 Singapore with a win on Tuesday.
"If you win you are more positive," Halep mentioned after her comfortable win over Madison. "I can play my best tennis and give everything without thinking of the score," she added.
Kerber, too, remains confident. "I have much more confidence right now," the Australian Open 2016 and US Open 2016 winner said. "I know how to play the big tournaments also mentally, how to win really tough matches in tough situations, like playing finals in big tournaments, big stages. So this changed a lot [for me] as a player," she added.
On Monday, there was a mild upset in the tournament as Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, who is in a hot form at the moment, in a dramatic three-setter.
Schedule
The first match of the day between Kerber and Halep gets under way at 7.30 pm Singapore Time (5 pm IST) on October 25. This will be followed by a match between Madison Keys and Dominika Cibulkova.
Where to watch live
India: Highlights will be available on Ten 1 from 12.30 am IST [Wednesday].
USA: TV - ESPN 2. Live streaming - Watch ESPN.
Online streaming - WTA website, Tennis TV.
Live scores HERE.
