Results of the WTA finals: Coco Gauff qualifies for the semi-finals, Iga Swiatek is eliminated

Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have qualified for the last four WTA Tour Finals, where they are joined by Zheng Qinwen and Barbora Krejcikova.

Sabalenka was drawn alongside Jasmine Paolini, Elena Rybakina and Zheng in the group stage that began on November 2 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek, who is looking to replace Sabalenka as world No. 1, faced Gauff, against whom she had an 11-1 record, Jessica Pegula, whom she beat in the quarterfinals of the US Open, and Wimbledon champion Krejcikova:

Before the final day of round-robin play, Sabalenka, Zheng and Gauff had already qualified for the semifinals. The final spot was between Swiatek and Krejcikova, with the former facing substitute Daria Kasatkina (who replaced the injured Pegula) and the latter having to defeat Gauff. Swiatek's result, win or loss, would have no bearing on her chances of qualifying.

The world number 2 duly defeated Kasatkina 6-1, 6-0 and only learned afterwards in a press conference that the victory did not affect her chances. Krejcikova then took advantage of a haphazard performance from Gauff, who scored 1/10 of break points and made over 30 unforced forehand errors, to win 7-5, 6-4 to top the group and advance to the semifinals against Zheng.

In the other semi-final, Gauff will face Sabalenka.

Sabalenka edged Paolini 3-2 in a head-to-head earlier in the week and won 6-3, 7-5 on Monday. After comfortably surviving the first set and taking a 4-2 lead in the second, the result seemed a formality but Paolini fought back to 5-5 before Sabalenka's pressure gave it away.

When Gauff defeated an error-riddled Swiatek 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday, the American qualified for the semifinals, confirming Sabalenka's position as world No. 1 at year's end.

Sabalenka then faced Rybakina in a dead game on Wednesday. Rybakina had not played a competitive match since the first round of the US Open before arriving in Saudi Arabia and had withdrawn from numerous tournaments throughout the year due to injury and illness. Their early results, including three titles and two finals appearances, kept them in contention for the year-end tournament.

Although Rybakina lost her first two games in Riyadh, Paolini triumphed 7-6 (5), 6-4, before Zheng boosted her qualification hopes with a 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-1 victory Leben held Sabalenka 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in a display of her trademark agility and ruthless serving.

Zheng and Paolini, meanwhile, fought a straight shootout to qualify for the semifinals, which Zheng won at a canter 6-1, 6-1.

Jasmine Paolini narrowly reached the semi-finals but failed. (Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images)

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In Swiatek's first competitive outing with new coach Wim Fissette, she recovered from a slow start to defeat Krejcikova 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. As the game progressed, she took control of the game. Gauff, who has shown new self-confidence on the forehand since parting ways with coach Brad Gilbert – despite some shaky serving performances – was always under control in her opening game against her compatriot Pegula and won 6:3, 6:2.

Pegula, who had looked out of form throughout due to a knee injury, then lost to Krejcikova 3-6, 3-6, knocking the American out of the tournament before withdrawing.

How does the WTA Tour Finals draw work?

The eight qualified players were divided into four pots for the draw. Pot 1 is #1 and #2, Pot 2 is #3 and #4 and so on.

This seeding list follows the players' placements in the “WTA Race”, the table in which only ranking points achieved in 2024 are counted.

Each player then plays three round-robin games. The two best players in each group compete in the semi-finals, the winners meet in the final.

This year, Barbora Krejcikova qualified as the eighth player despite being 12th in the race. Krejcikova won Wimbledon, defeated Jasmine Paolini in the final and is a Grand Slam champion, ranking between No. 8 and No. 0. 20 participants in the race in the year they won their title automatically qualify for the event.

Who won the tournament last year?

Iga Swiatek won the 2023 WTA Tour Finals in Cancun, Mexico by defeating Pegula 6-1, 6-0 in the final. The current world No. 2 won all five matches last year and overtook Aryna Sabalenka to end the year as world No. 1.

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How much is the prize money for the WTA Tour Finals?

The total prize money is $15.25 million (£11.76 million), which is a record for the event. The prize money is awarded per game won and is structured so that the champion will take home $5.15 million (£3.96 million) if they go through the event undefeated with five wins (three round-robin wins , a semi-final win and then a win in the semi-final). the final).

The winner of the final will receive $2.5m (£1.9m), while the winner of each semi-final will receive $1.27m (£978,000); The prize for winning a round-robin match is $350,000 (£269,500) and each player will receive $335,000 (£257,900) just for taking part in the event.

The prize pool is more than $6 million larger than the 2023 Cancun event, and the prize money for the winner is larger than any of the four Grand Slams, of which the US Open is $3.6 million. Dollars (2.77 million pounds) is the largest.

Iga Swiatek regained the number 1 position in the world rankings by winning last year's event. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Why is the event taking place in Saudi Arabia?

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sports and the Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) signed a three-year contract for the WTA Tour Finals in April this year. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) already sponsors the ATP and WTA world rankings, and this deal is currently the largest element of the kingdom's push into tennis. Saudi Arabia has plans for a coveted 1000-level tour event, but plans for that tournament are currently stalled over the most basic principles, including when it should be played and whether it should be a combined event is supposed to feature both ATP and WTA players playing at the same location in the same two weeks. Any implementation is not expected to occur until at least 2027, if not 2028.

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An agreement was close to being reached in the summer of 2023, but the WTA backed out after prominent former players such as Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova criticized Saudi Arabia's human rights record and treatment of women. This led to the WTA scrambling for a venue, ultimately choosing Cancun just two months before the event. This resulted in a tournament marred by poor weather and poor organization, played in front of a makeshift 4,000-seat stadium on a pitch that players described as uneven and unpredictable. A longer-term deal promises stability for an event that has faltered since 2020, but has not stopped criticism of a country that criminalizes homosexuality and does not give women the same rights as men.

WTA chairman Steve Simon said this last year The athlete that the Saudi organizers are “as committed as we are to building the event and achieving good attendance.”

In Riyadh, Simon's successor as chief executive Portia Archer said the WTA Tour respects the values ​​of the countries where it hosts tournaments, saying she had “misspoken” after initially stating that the host countries do not necessarily have values must match those of the WTA Tour.

Given the decline of the kingdom's broader ambitions in tennis – its proposal for a Masters 1000 tournament and a $1 billion investment last year sent the sport into turmoil – this event is something of a mutual testing exercise for the PIF and the WTA (and the ATP, which we will watch with interest). How the players feel, how well the event is attended and the reaction of the entire tennis world will influence both sides' strategy for further discussions about the future of the sport in the coming months.

(Top photo by Coco Gauff: Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)