SHENZHEN, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- World No. 1 Australian Ashleigh Barty and No. 8 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine opened up about the former's 6-4, 6-3 win in their final clash at the 2019 Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen here on Sunday.
Barty, who had lost her five previous meetings with the Ukrainian, said in the post-match press conference that a change of approach is what made the difference tonight.
"I think a slight shift in tactics and execution [was the key] first and foremost. In the other matches, particularly in Indian Wells, I had opportunities. Had set points in the first set, breaks up and things like that.
"Tonight, it felt like it was a lot more clear, a lot more concise from my end. I took my opportunities when I got them. Pretty happy to play that kind of level of a match in such a big match," Barty said.
The Australian noted that her forehand inside was another deciding factor, calling it a "shot comes naturally to me. I feel like when I can get forehands from that side of the court, when I'm hitting it well, I can go either way.
That was a side that I wanted to try to get into tonight. I think it was also important for me to move forward, then to try to bring Elina in a few times as well, which worked really well," she noted.
Her ability to keep clutch on key points was also a deciding factor in Barty's estimation.
"I feel like overall it was more about how I played the bigger points. I felt like I did that very well tonight," she said.
Reflecting on the season as a whole, Barty called the past year a roller-coaster ride.
"It feels like it's been a year that just hasn't stopped. It's been a year of incredible ups and downs, I think more ups than downs. To cap it off with a very, very special night tonight in Shenzhen is really cool.
"We've played some exceptional tennis this year. We've had some heart-breaking moments and we've had every emotion in between," Barty recollected.
For her part, Svitolina commended Barty for playing exceptional tennis and keeping her level high at key moments.
"I think she was playing great match today. She was on it 100%. It was very, very tough," the Ukrainian said.
Svitolina also noted that she was unable to take advantage of the chances she had in the first set.
"In the first set I had one small opportunity. Unfortunately, she played great on [the baseline]. I didn't really have any other chances to come back. Then everything happened really quickly," she added.
Reflecting on her perfect run here in Shenzhen leading up to the defeat final, Svitolina said she had no complaints.
"Obviously it was great week for me. I cannot complain after winning four matches. Yeah, it seemed like I was playing 10 matches here," she said with a smile.
"Yeah, it was a good I think still positive finish of the year," she concluded.
