GB’s Watson into first WTA final since 2016

Before this week in Tianjin, Heather Watson had only won one match on the WTA Tour in 2019

British number two Heather Watson has reached her first WTA final for three years by beating Veronika Kudermetova in the Tianjin Open semi-finals.

Watson, 27, beat Kudermetova of Russia – ranked 80 places above her – 6-1 6-4 in China.

The world number 125 will face Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson, ranked 59th, in Sunday’s final – her first since the Monterrey Open in March 2016.

“Hopefully I can play as well as I managed today,” said Watson.

After saving four match points and needing more than three hours to beat Magda Linette of Poland in the quarter-finals, things were a lot more comfortable against 22-year-old Kudermetova on Saturday.

Watson broke serve twice to take the first set inside 25 minutes and secured the all-important break at 2-2 in the second, before closing out another impressive victory.

Her form this week means she is guaranteed to climb back inside the world’s top 100, while she will look to maintain her 100% success rate in WTA finals, having won at Monterrey in 2016, Hobart in 2015 and Osaka in 2012.