DESPITE entering the tournament as the sole player outside the top seven ranked at 13th in teh world, Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova made it through to the knockout stages of the WTA Finals. The Czech talent upset American Coco Gauff 7-5 6-4 en route to the semi-finals.

Krejcikova needed to win in order to secure a semi-finals spot with Gauff having already locked up her place. However a loss – given Iga Swiatek had won against Daria Kasatkina earlier – would mean she was eliminated from the tournament.

However the pressure did not get to the 28-year-old who won in straight sets across one hour and 42 minutes in Riyadh. Krejcikova won the pair’s only previous meeting, though it was way back in 2021 at Roland Garros. In the match overnight, Krejcikova weathered 10 aces off Gauff’s racquet to serve four of her own and critically win 64 and 65 per cent of her first and second serve points.

The American had a higher first serve success rate (68 per cent) but was unable to be nearly as successful when it did get to her second serve (46 per cent), which opened the door for the Czech. Krejcikova took full advantage, breaking three times from four chances. By comparison, Gauff will rue missing far more opportunities, setting up 12 break point chances but only took one.

“Well I was definitely super excited to be here, to come here, to qualify to play against the best ones,” Krejcikova said post-match. “I don’t really know where everything started to come together. Before the tournament, I had  a couple of days where we hit lightly and already during those hits, I felt quite good. And I think definitely for me, it’s a big thing that it’s the last tournament of the season.”

Krejcikova will now head to the semi-finals where she takes on Chinese seventh seed Qinwen Zheng, while third seed Gauff has the tougher contest up against world number one and tournament favourite, Aryna Sabalenka.

Swift Swiatek destroys Kasatkina in in 51-minute rout

WORLD number two Iga Swiatek was in no mood for a long slog in her last group match of the WTA Finals, dismantling Russian Daria Kasatkina. The alternative singles player came in after American Jessica Pegula withdrew from the tournament, though hardly gave a yelp in a 6-1 6-0 domination.

Swiatek only dropped 11 points on serve, winning 76 per cent of her first serve points and 64 per cent of her second serve points without coming close to facing a break point. In contrast, Kasatkina only saved one of six break points, and only won 12 of 35 points on serve (34 per cent).

Post-match Swiatek admitted she was not aware that she needed more than just to win – Krejcikova to lose – in order to secure a semi-finals spot.

“Huh,” Swiatek said. “Honestly, I don’t think it matters. Like we go out on court to win every match anyway, so … I was not thinking about that. I did not know that was the case. 

“I’m professional enough to always give 100 per cent no matter what the stakes are. So, no (it didn’t matter I didn’t know).”