Newly crowned world number one Angelique Kerber crushed the defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2 6-1 on Saturday to advance to the final of the WTA's end-of-season championship against Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova. A surprise finalist, Cibulkova booked her spot in the title match when she fought back from the brink of defeat to overhaul a weary Svetlana Kuznetsova 1-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 in a thriller at Singapore's Indoor Stadium.
Cibulkova lost to Kerber in the round-robin phase last Sunday and will have her work cut out for her beating the German in Sunday's final after she produced another clinical display against Radwanska. Kerber dominated Radwanska from the outset, giving the Pole few chances to play her own game as she took control of the baseline rallies and cruised to victory in an hour and a quarter.
"She had an answer for everything. She's not giving anything for free," Radwanska said. "That's what makes her one of the best players in the world and the best this year." Unbeaten in four matches this week, Kerber will go into Sunday's final as a strong favourite as she seeks to add the WTA Finals title to her Australian Open and US Open crowns. The pair have played each other nine times, with Cibulkova winning the first four and Kerber the last five meetings.