WATCH: Goerges celebrates birthday with semifinal berth
The German turned 29 on Thursday in Zhuhai.
On Thursday, Julia Goerges celebrated her 29th birthday in Zhuhai and then earned her spot in the WTA Elite Trophy semifinals on Friday. The German revealed that it's the first time she is spending a birthday at a tournament, as this is the first time she's qualified for a year-end championships.
Goerges won her seventh match in a row by taking out Kristina Mladenovic, 6-2, 7-6 (4). She sealed the semifinal spot with a tricky volley winner on match point:
Mladenovic closes what is her career-best season with a stunning 12-match losing streak. The last singles match the 24-year-old won was in Washington back in July. Despite the dramatic slide, Mladenovic will end 2017 at No. 12, just two spots shy of her career-high No. 10.
Georges came into Zhuhai fresh from winning the title in Moscow. It marked her first title in six years and pushed her ranking back inside the Top 20 for the first time since February 2013. She reached three finals in 2017 before winning Moscow (Mallorca, Bucharest and Washington).
Georges will take on Anastasija Sevastova on Saturday for chance to play in yet another final. The second semifinal will see CoCo Vandeweghe face off against Ashleigh Barty.