Brother's wise words inspire Gavrilova

Dec 31, 2017 - 5:19 AM If the prophesy of Daria Gavrilova's brother comes true, the world No.25 is set for a ripper 2018.

Gavrilova finished 2017 in grand style with a crushing 6-1 6-4 win over Canadian Eugenie Bouchard in their Hopman Cup tie on Sunday.

After the match, Gavrilova revealed she had been thinking about a wise saying her brother used to tell her.

"In Russia, we've got that saying - the way you finish the year, that's how it's going to be. Something like that," Gavrilova said.

"I think my brother came up with it, and it was stuck in my head, playing up in my head.

"I don't know if that helped, but it is nice to win."

Moscow-born Gavrilova wants to cement a place in the world's top 20 in 2018.

The 23-year-old was ruthless early against Bouchard, and would have delivered a first-set bagel if not for some unforced errors in the sixth game.

Gavrilova committed three double faults during the sixth game of the second set.

But she managed to hold serve eventually before wrapping up the win in 78 minutes.

"I was very happy with the start," Gavrilova said.

"I was very physical from the beginning. I told myself you're going to be tough from the very first point, and I managed to do that pretty well.

"I got a bit nervous in the end. The last couple of service games - they're the ones I want to forget.

"I was like, 'Oh my god, you're serving for it. Just do it. We're not going three sets here'."

Gavrilova has been working on her net game during the off-season, and was pleased with her early progress.

Source: AAP