Tennis: Karolina Pliskova and Garbine Muguruza win on the slow court in Singapore

The first match on the first day at the WTA Finals was marked by the thumping defeat of Venus Williams, at the hands of Karolina Pliskova. Jelena Ostapenko then lost to Garbine Muguruza in straight sets.

Does the court suit Karolina Pliskova’s style?

Garbine beat Jelena 6-3, 6-2 and Pliskova won with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-2.

It seems the court is probably a little friendlier to Pliskova’s flatter ground shots. Wozniacki feels that the flatter balls are skidding off the surface, and said. “Well, it’s a little bit of a different surface. I think if the ball is hit through, it kind of skids through the court. If there is a bit more spin on it, the ball stops and it’s very slow.”

Is the court suited for grinders like Simona Halep?

Even Halep agreed with the court being too slow and said. “I practiced every day, for sure, since I’m here. The court is a little bit slower. The wood makes a difference a little bit, heavy for the legs, but it’s a nice court.”

Halep’s grinding game is tailor-made for slower surfaces. She must be salivating at the prospect of taking on the big hitters here and retaining her year-end number one position for 2017.

Venus Williams commented on the slow speed of the court. “Yeah, the court is extremely slow. So you’ll probably see some long points and some long matches. Some long points at the end of the year.”

The slow court is a grinder’s court.

If the court is playing as slow as everyone claims, then one of the grinders from the Red Group would stand a better chance at winning. Caroline Garcia appears to be in good form and plays a heady mix of grinding plus aggressive tennis.

It is still too early to form conclusions about the eventual winner here. However, we won’t have to wait too long to discover who is in form and who isn’t for the court in Singapore.