Svetlana Kuznetsova gives herself an on-court haircut before winning at the WTA Finals

Svetlana Kuznetsova gave herself an on-court haircut en route to beating Agnieszka Radwanska in the WTA Finals in Singapore. The 31-year-old Russian was trailing the defending champion 1-2 in the third set at the season-ending tournament on Monday (24 October) when she requested a break and then took a pair of scissors to her blonde locks.

The current world number seven shocked the watching audience as she cut her ponytail about halfway down before resuming the match. What's more, the trim seemed to make a difference as Kuznetsova's performance improved and she went on to win 7-5, 1-6, 7-5 in three hours.

During the post-match press conference, Kuznetsova explained that her ponytail had been getting in her eyes. "Every time I would hit a good shot, it would hit my eye every time and I had [to] struggle," she said, according to The Guardian.

"I thought, 'OK, what's more important now, my hair, which I can let grow, or the match?' I thought, 'OK, I got to go for it right now', and that's it. I was not thinking too much, though. I was just trying to get the best of me ... I don't even know how much I cut there."

The two-time Grand Slam winner admitted she was tempted to throw in the towel in the third set, but Kuznetsova showed impressive resolve to emerge victorious. "At some point I was ready to just let it go and lie on the court and let them take me out of here but I decided to hang in there," she shared.