No.2 Swiatek beats No.1 Sabalenka in WTA Finals semis

Second-ranked Iga Swiatek emerged victorious over world number one Aryna Sabalenka with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph on Sunday, securing her place in the title match of the WTA Finals. Swiatek, who recently won the French Open, prevented Sabalenka from securing the year-end top ranking. Instead, Swiatek now has the opportunity to claim the year-end world number one spot by defeating Jessica Pegula in the championship match on Monday.

“I feel like it’s still a long way away because I feel like tomorrow’s match will be the toughest one,” Swiatek said regarding her upcoming match against Pegula. “We can talk about it tomorrow after the match. I’m just going to continue doing what I’ve been doing.”

Sabalenka had previously overtaken Swiatek for the top ranking, but her chances of retaining it now rely on Pegula’s performance in the final.

Pegula, who defeated Coco Gauff in the semi-finals with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory, enters the WTA Finals championship match with a nine-match win streak. While Swiatek holds a 5-3 career advantage over Pegula, the American has emerged victorious in two out of their three meetings this year, including a semi-final match in Montreal and the United Cup. However, Swiatek defeated Pegula in this year’s Doha final.

“I can’t truly tell you the keys for tomorrow,” Swiatek said when asked about her strategy for the upcoming match. “I’m going to work on that.”

The final, originally scheduled for Sunday, was delayed due to rain. Swiatek was leading 2-1 on serve when play resumed, and she went on to secure the only break of the opening set. In the second set, Swiatek broke early and then broke again to secure a 5-2 lead with an overhead smash, eventually winning the match with a service winner on her first match point.

This victory by Swiatek avenges her loss to Sabalenka in last year’s WTA Finals semi-finals. Prior to this match, Swiatek and Sabalenka had split their two meetings this year, both of which were played on clay.

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