The GIST: The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals (the last tournament of the WTA Tour) is underway, with two standout players already clinching their spot in the semis and a stacked doubleheader set for this morning. Now that’s a serve.
The context: Outside of tennis’ four majors (the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open), the WTA Finals is the most important tournament for pro women’s players, with only the top eight singles and doubles competitors in the world fighting for record-setting prize money.
- Despite backlash, SA’s influence in tennis is growing across the women’s and men’s game.
How the WTA Finals work: Transitioning to the on-court action, the tourney’s eight singles players were drawn into two groups of four for the ongoing group stage, which is round-robin style. The top two players in each group advance to Friday’s semis, and the two semis winners face off in Saturday’s final.
The recap: World No. 3 Coco Gauff defeated No. 2 Iga Świątek yesterday for just the second time in 13 attempts, clinching a semis spot. Świątek’s loss also ensures that Aryna Sabalenka will finish the year as No. 1, which isn’t a surprise given Sabalenka’s won 22 of her last 23 matches.
- Like Gauff, Sabalenka has already locked in her semis appearance, but Świątek and No. 4 Jasmine Paolini are among the big names looking to join them. Stay tuned.