WATCH: Kuznetsova talks heart after win in Singapore

Oct 27, 2016
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WATCH: Kuznetsova talks heart after win in Singapore

The last-minute entry into the WTA Finals is making it worth her

Published Oct 27, 2016

Svetlana Kuznetsova advanced to the final four of the WTA Finals for the first time, and could not hide her excitement.

The 31-year-old squeaked into the tournament at the last minute after winning the Kremlin Cup over the weekend, and is now the first player into the semifinals after beating Karolina Pliskova 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6) on Wednesday.

It took Kuznetsova a deciding set, a tiebreak and four match points, but the effort was worth it. She stayed calm throughout the final point, but the Russian’s celebration showed just how much the win meant.

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“I got here last moment,” she said on-court, “And with all the support of the crowd and my team, I couldn’t let myself and everybody down. So I had to fight.”

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When asked where her career resurgence is coming from, Kuznetsova had a simple answer.

“From my heart,” she said. “I have not been at my best these last few years, but something changed this year. I just enjoy the game, I enjoy the crowd, and I enjoy playing the best players in the world.”