The WTA Finals semifinals are set in stone after drama ensued in the final round-robin matches on Thursday.
World No. 2 Iga Swiatek demolished Daria Kasatkina, the withdrawing Jessica Pegula’s replacement, 6-1, 6-0, in under 52 minutes, but still couldn’t secure a place in the final four. Swiatek needed Coco Gauff to defeat Barbora Krejcikova in the other final group-stage match, but the American fell to the Czech, 7-5, 6-4, resulting in Swiatek’s ouster.
Despite her loss, Gauff had already secured a place in the semifinals following her convincing wins over Pegula and Swiatek in the first two round-robin matches.
While Swiatek and Krejcikova were tied with two wins apiece, the latter won her matches more convincingly. As such, the Pole was eliminated due to a technicality. In her post-match press conference, she was shocked to learn that her victory over Kasatkina was inconsequential.
Gauff versus Sabalenka should be a treat
The first semifinal will pit Krejcikova, the reigning Wimbledon winner, against China’s World No. 7 Zheng Qinwen. The latter is fresh off her victory at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and a finals finish in Wuhan, not to mention a gold-medal win at the Paris Olympics. Many analysts feel that Qinwen is poised to have a breakout season in 2025 and is a legitimate threat to win the WTA Finals this weekend.
The other semifinal will feature World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka against No. 3 Gauff in a high-profile contest. While Sabalenka enters the match as the favorite, the two women are tied 4-4 in career head-to-head matches, with their most recent contest taking place in last month’s Wuhan Open. Gauff hasn’t defeated Sabalenka in 2024 but owns significant wins over the Belarusian, including the 2023 US Open final and the fourth round of the 2022 Toronto Open.
Since the hard court at Riyadh favors their power-packed style, Sabalenka and Gauff have reason to feel confident going into the contest.
