Haddad Maia: "I feel stronger, much more competitive"

Fernando Murciego | 24 Sep 2024 | 20.31

Bea Haddad Maia with the title in Seoul. Source: Getty

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The match has barely been going on for half an hour and the outcome seems more than predictable. Daria Kasatkina leads 6-1 and 2-0 against Beatriz Haddad Maia, a situation so alarming that the famous 'Win Predictor' – which sometimes gets it right – appears on the screen to give the Brazilian only a 5% chance of success. Was the comeback really so impossible? The final of the WTA 500 in Seoul lasts 1h50min and, to everyone's surprise, it's the South American who ends up embracing the trophy (1-6, 6-4, 6-1). An exercise in survival, confidence, and resilience that makes her one of the main figures at the beginning of the Asian tour.

"I'm very happy with my work, especially after the victory in the final," Haddad Maia expressed in remarks collected by WTA hours later. "I really think I made a lot of mistakes at the beginning of the match, missed many balls, something that Daria took advantage of to play better. On the other hand, I knew I had been playing very well all week, I know that things change quickly in tennis, so I started playing much better from the second set. At that moment my game came back, until I finally managed to close the match the way I wanted to," Bea added.

This being her seventh final, it was indeed a special milestone for Haddad Maia. Not only because it was going to break her 3-3 balance in title matches, but also because it was precisely Seoul where we saw her reach a professional-level final for the first time, back in 2017 when she wasn't yet among the top 70 in the world. On that occasion, she lost to Jelena Ostapenko, but this time things would be different, although she had to endure the unimaginable with that catastrophic start to the match she mentioned earlier. The fourth trophy of her career, the first of this season, serves as a reminder that the Brazilian is back, ready for anything.

SPRINGBOARD FOR 2025

The best is yet to come, her biggest fans will think. Two months ahead to close the calendar year with a good taste, building on the sensations from Seoul and aiming for this Asian tour to confirm that Bea is back to stay among the best, to make an impact on the big stages. Her motivation to regain her place in the top 10 becomes a reality, as she is currently #12 in the official ranking and 17th in the Race. Beyond the numbers, the great figure in South American tennis wants to bring more joy before the year ends, all to start 2025 as far ahead as possible on the starting line.

"I am aware of how hard I have been working in recent weeks, even in recent months. I feel much stronger, I feel that I am much more competitive at this moment [...] I don't know, I see myself in a good moment, ready to perform well every week again, that's why I'm working hard every week. We'll see what happens in the coming dates and what this end of the season has in store for me," she confesses in this same report. For now, her status as a seeded player will make her wait one more day to know who her first opponent will be in the WTA 1000 in Beijing.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Haddad Maia: “Me siento más fuerte, mucho más competitiva”