Defending champion Iga Swiatek was eliminated from the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia after her group rival Barbora Krejcikova beat Coco Gauff to secure her place in the semi-finals.
Polish second seed Swiatek beat Russian Daria Kasatkina 6-1 6-0 in her final group match – but she was still counting on Gauff to do her favor in Jeddah.
However, Wimbledon champion Krejcikova won 7-5 6-4 – after saving four break points in the match where she ultimately served out the match – to advance to the knockout stage at the expense of Swiatek.
The win moved Krejcikova to the top of the Orange group, setting up a meeting with Chinese seventh seed Zheng Qinwen.
Gauff, who had already qualified, will face Belarusian world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals on Friday.
Working for Swiatek to do
Eighth-seeded Krejcikova’s victory was bad news for Swiatek, who was eliminated in the group stage of the WTA Finals for the first time since 2021.
Swiatek has been the dominant player on Tour for the majority of the last two years and started this season strong by winning titles in Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros.
However, her high level declined in the second half of the season and allowed Sabalenka to overtake her at the top of the rankings.
In his quest for answers, Swiatek decided to change coaches and replaced Tomasz Wiktorowski by Wim Fissette ahead of the WTA Finals.
Improving the four-time French Open champion’s service game and adapting her skills to achieve more success on faster surfaces are the priorities.
On a fast court at the King Saud University Indoor Arena, Swiatek struggled against Gauff on Tuesday – a straight-sets defeat that ultimately proved costly.
But there were positive signs against Kasatkina. Swiatek played with more pace and intensity to get past the Russian, who looked undercooked after her late call-up.
“I was hitting the ball really well and picking the right shots to play faster,” Swiatek said.
Why reaching the semi-finals is ‘unimaginable’ for Krejcikova
Despite her status as Wimbledon champion, Krejcikova arrived at the season-ending tournament – where the top eight WTA players of the year compete for the singles title – as an underdog.
She finished 12th in the seasonal race, but qualified by winning one of the sport’s four major titles.
On the eve of the tournament, doubts remained over her fitness after she withdrew from the quarter-finals of the Ningbo Open due to a back injury.
However, she found her best form at the right time to reach the final four in her WTA Finals debut.
After letting the lead slip away in a three-set loss to Swiatek, Krejcikova recovered with back-to-back wins over Jessica Pegula and Gauff.
“The victory at Wimbledon is the highlight of my career and to be here and reach the semi-finals is something unimaginable,” said Krejcikova, who saved 11 of 12 break points against Gauff.
“I was fighting for every ball. I knew it would be difficult because Coco is on a roll and one of the best players this season.
“The grand prize, the semi-final, was on the line and I just tried to have fun.”
