Defending champion Iga Swiatek was eliminated from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals on Thursday after Barbora Krejcikova secured a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Coco Gauff, preventing the Polish world No. 2 from advancing to the semifinals.
Gauff had already secured her place in the last four, but Swiatek needed the American to defeat the eighth-seeded Czech Krejcikova to keep her hopes alive. Krejcikova, ranked 13th in the world, fought hard to clinch the tight first set, saving four break points before sealing it with a powerful down-the-line backhand.
The match marked Gauff’s first set loss in the tournament, with unforced errors—23 in the first set alone—proving costly. Despite her efforts, Gauff couldn’t overcome Krejcikova’s resilience. The second set mirrored the first, and after one hour and 42 minutes, Krejcikova emerged victorious.
“This is a big win for me, and I’m really happy with how I played,” said the 27-year-old Krejcikova. “Reaching the semifinals here is something unimaginable. I’m really proud of myself and looking forward to new challenges.”
Krejcikova’s victory makes her the lowest-ranked player to reach the WTA Finals semifinals since Sandrine Testud in 2001. She will face China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the next round.
Earlier in the day, Swiatek delivered a commanding performance against Daria Kasatkina, defeating the Russian 6-1, 6-0 in just 51 minutes—the fastest match at the WTA Finals in eight years. Despite the dominant win, it wasn’t enough for Swiatek to advance, as Krejcikova’s subsequent victory sealed her fate.
Gauff is set to face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a much-anticipated semifinal matchup.
Reference(s):
Swiatek knocked out of WTA Finals after Krejcikova beats Gauff
cgtn.com
