2024 WTA Finals - General Discussion
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JJGUY
Hall of Fame
confirmed now: Pegula withdraws from WTA Finals with injury; Kasatkina in as alternate
www.wtatennis.com
Pegula withdraws from WTA Finals with injury; Kasatkina in as alternate
US Open finalist Jessica Pegula withdrew from the WTA Finals Riyadh ahead of her final group stage match against Iga Swiatek due to a left knee injury.
www.wtatennis.com
D-Lite
Hall of Fame
Damn, brutal for Kasatkina only being able to play 1 match and it's against Iga. Let's be honest Iga has been off tour for a while so each match you'd expect to see improvements. I'm hoping we get Iga v Sabalenka in the SF just because it's World #1 against #2. I'd expect Sabalenka to win but at least they'd be playing with Iga having had 3 matches back after absence.confirmed now: Pegula withdraws from WTA Finals with injury; Kasatkina in as alternate
Pegula withdraws from WTA Finals with injury; Kasatkina in as alternate
US Open finalist Jessica Pegula withdrew from the WTA Finals Riyadh ahead of her final group stage match against Iga Swiatek due to a left knee injury.
As for Zheng v Gauff in the SF I'm happy. I had wanted Gauff in that group instead of Paolini so I'm glad we get this match up. I would not hate a Sabalenka v Gauff or Swiatek v Zheng final. I don't really fancy Sabalenka v Zheng again or Gauff v Swiatek again but anything could happen at this level.
What are the stipulations for who qualifies out of Swiatek and Krejcikova? Swiatek doesn't get to play Pegula who the other 2 beat and Krejcikova still has to play Gauff who's already won the group. Is it as simple as Krejcikova has to win and Swiatek has to lose?
If Krejčíková and Świątek both win, the two of them + Gauff are 2-1.
Tiebreaker Order:
1. # of wins (all three have 2)
2. # of matches (all three have 3)
3. H2H if only two players are tied (doesn't apply)
4. in three-player ties, (a) percentage of sets won (H2H if two players remain tied), then (b) percentage of games won (H2H if two players remain tied), then (c) WTA rankings.
So, under rule #4, if Krejčíková beats Gauff in straight sets, she is #1 at 5-2. Gauff is #2 at 4-2. If Krejčíková beats Gauff in three sets, Gauff is #1 at 5-2 and Krejčíková is #2 at 5-3 (Świątek is #3 at 4-3 even if she wins in straight sets).
In other words, Świątek needs Gauff to beat Krejčíková to advance.
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Nicely rendered diacritical marks! Very elaborate and comprehensive. But Coco looks rather forlorn. Should we upgrade her to Gäuff or the like?
robyrolfo
Hall of Fame
Wow, what was going on with Sabalenka there at the end? She seems to be struggling for control, and then decided that hitting harder was the solution! Of course it was not...
And maybe Rybakina just played better with no pressure on her, which says something.
Gauff was not playing well, it was just that Swiatek was playing worse!
Anyway, she still had, by far, the best run of her career under Gilbert, and that should tell you something. People just need to accept that she isn't the next Serena or Venus. She isn't even close. Both Serena, and especially Venus, had WAY more tennis talent than her. And comparisons are an insult to the sisters.
And maybe Rybakina just played better with no pressure on her, which says something.
Huh? In what sense? Yes, the head to head is in Gauff's favor, but at least two of those matches Muchova wasn't 100%.
Yeah, just awful... and awful to watch. Seriously, nobody wants to watch tennis that is just mindlessly blasting at the ball and seeing who misses first.
Gauff was not playing well, it was just that Swiatek was playing worse!
Huh? Are you trying to imply that Brad is somehow to blame for her issues? DF problems are usually mental, and he probably realized that (and realized that something technical wasn't going to "fix" it).
Anyway, she still had, by far, the best run of her career under Gilbert, and that should tell you something. People just need to accept that she isn't the next Serena or Venus. She isn't even close. Both Serena, and especially Venus, had WAY more tennis talent than her. And comparisons are an insult to the sisters.
JJGUY
Hall of Fame
The purple group is already stacked with in form players, if Gauff had joined, every match would be a blockbuster fight , on the other hand, Paolini would have a far better chance in the weak orange group, she would make the semi either as #1 or #2.
tennis4me
Hall of Fame
"Huh", if you think Gauff has no technical issue to fix.
zvelf
Hall of Fame
Or Rybakina has been playing herself into form since she hasn't had a match since the U.S. Open until this week. As for Sabalenka, hitting hard is always her solution. It was impressive for Rybakina to win 11 points in a row in the middle of the third set.
Siniakova/Townsend vs. Hsieh/Mertens was one of the best matches of the year with many a jaw-dropping rally.
If you don't watch anything else, watch the points at 5:41, 7:46, and 10:02 in the video.
JJGUY
Hall of Fame
Absolutely, Ryba lost the first match in straight sets but it was very close, and in her second match, she won a set, and the 3rd match, she beat Sabalenka convincingly in the decider. Ryba is getting better and better with each match she played, there was no slump from her, she just need some adjustments after a long period of off court and she already found her rhythm after just two matches, there are no worrying signs here, I think she will continue to be the dominant force next season.
What the heck are you talking about? Rybakina certainly wasn't "the dominant force" in 2024, so there's nothing for her to "continue" in 2025. She won three 500 titles in 2024, all in the first third of the year. No titles or finals in the last two-thirds of the year. Her slam results were disappointing across the board, especially at Wimbledon, where the field was cleared for her but she still couldn't close the deal. Her year-end ranking will drop a couple of spots.
The fact is that 2024 on the whole was a down year for Rybakina. Her goal for 2025 has to be to improve her results a lot, not to maintain the status quo.
D-Lite
Hall of Fame
Swiatek demolishes Kasatkina 1 and 0...
I think the WTA should stipulate you win a 1000 event to be eligible to be an alternate at the finals. I mean, I know there are many potential scenarios where you have a fluke still but Kasatkina is there on the back of 500 events, some of which were pretty weak in week prior to a major.
I think the WTA should stipulate you win a 1000 event to be eligible to be an alternate at the finals. I mean, I know there are many potential scenarios where you have a fluke still but Kasatkina is there on the back of 500 events, some of which were pretty weak in week prior to a major.
AM75
Hall of Fame
I assume Kasatkina was in holiday mode already, but unlike Navarro she needs money. Bit like a Sultan cup or what it was where Meddy cashed millions just to move his racquet left and right, she cashed a huge pay-check just for being on the court.
It's 250 000 $ just for one match.
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NaomiKonjuhPotapova
G.O.A.T.
nope, WTA change that rule this year.
NaomiKonjuhPotapova
G.O.A.T.
Gauff to follow Sabalenka?
robyrolfo
Hall of Fame
Does she hit a huge number of DF's in every match? No. Is she physically capable of making a second serve? I believe so. So it's definitely more mental than technical.
I don't think she is throwing this match. Krej is just playing her good tennis, which is better than anything Gauff can do. Of course, the issue is that Krej can rarely sustain her good tennis...
Aabye5
G.O.A.T.
I agree, Krej is winning this, Gauff isn't losing it.
NaomiKonjuhPotapova
G.O.A.T.
Don't think it's necessarily a Swiatek factor. The same with Sabalenka, the outcome just didn't really matter and it affects motivation.
Aabye5
G.O.A.T.
Let's be clear, it doesn't matter to Gauff
travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
Isn’t Gauff playing against Zheng in semi’s regardless of outcome?
tennis4me
Hall of Fame
Then, that sounds even worse having someone like Brad who's famous for his book that deals with "mental" and not able to help Coco on this. What does "physically capable" have to do with technical issue? Let's agree to disagree and move on. Will not respond to further discussion on this topic.
If she loses in straight sets, she plays Sabalenka.
travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
tennis4me
Hall of Fame
Apparently Daly is experimenting with some grip change working with Coco.
https://www.tennis.com/news/article...n-the-works-with-new-coach-matt-daly-in-wuhan
Aabye5
G.O.A.T.
That's very promising. Many people on these boards parrots that a player is stuck with their game once they reach the top, but the best continue to evolve.
tennis4me
Hall of Fame
Was only able to watch pieces of the Barb/Coco match. The stats showed a lot of UE from both players, particularly from Gauff with a whopping -20 and -7 (more UE than Winners) for Coco and Barb, respectively.
What was the summary of this match? Barbara playing much better than Coco? Or ...?
What was the summary of this match? Barbara playing much better than Coco? Or ...?
Gauff/Sabalenka and Zheng/Krejčíková
Aabye5
G.O.A.T.
Good quote from Iga on the mental side of the game:
“I had to have my head kind of on a leash and control it all the time,” Swiatek told reporters. “So I didn’t have that, tight moments, in two months. So I kind of forgot how it is and how much of energy it takes.
www.wtatennis.com
“I had to have my head kind of on a leash and control it all the time,” Swiatek told reporters. “So I didn’t have that, tight moments, in two months. So I kind of forgot how it is and how much of energy it takes.
WTA Finals preview: Can Krejcikova hold off Gauff to lock down semifinals?
With her semifinal hopes on the line, we break down what Iga Swiatek needs to do to advance to the WTA Finals Riyadh semifinals.
www.wtatennis.com
Gauff not giving 100% effort so Świątek would be eliminated.
Aabye5
G.O.A.T.
Thinking we're going to see a Sabs vs Krej final
tennis4me
Hall of Fame
She has to calculate that tiebreaker number carefully otherwise she could end up #3 in the pool and Iga will be in SF.
D-Lite
Hall of Fame
Only the RG winner is out, 3 of the 4 majors from 2024 are still represented at this year's YEC.
I doubt Gauff threw the match as why would you want to play Sabalenka over Zheng? I mean it's still a good opportunity to get a W over Sabalenka before the year ends but she is likely more focussed on winning the tournament than playing anyone in particular. BK just has a high ceiling when she's playing well and I think her style and all court craft makes her a nightmare for most players on her day. Good to see the group tightly contested just a shame we don't get to see Swiatek v Sabalenka this tournament.
I doubt Gauff threw the match as why would you want to play Sabalenka over Zheng? I mean it's still a good opportunity to get a W over Sabalenka before the year ends but she is likely more focussed on winning the tournament than playing anyone in particular. BK just has a high ceiling when she's playing well and I think her style and all court craft makes her a nightmare for most players on her day. Good to see the group tightly contested just a shame we don't get to see Swiatek v Sabalenka this tournament.
No, that was always impossible, due to sets percentage.
robyrolfo
Hall of Fame
That was impressive from Krejickova. Let's be clear, Gauff was indeed trying, but Barbora played excellent tennis. If she played like this all the time, she would really be such a pleasure to watch.
Honestly, I think he helped her initially, mostly in that it was a sort of clean slate and new approach, and often things go well when they are fresh. After that, I think she didn't really agree with his approach, and I think he certainly got the feeling that she either wasn't willing, or able, to do what he was asking her to do. In my opinion it was more the latter, where he realized that she was quite limited as a player.
Sorry, has this conversation been overly hostile or something? Look, the relationship between Gilbert and Gauff seemed very strained at the end, and frankly for quite a while before that. We all saw the instances of her basically telling him to be quiet during matches.
Honestly, I think he helped her initially, mostly in that it was a sort of clean slate and new approach, and often things go well when they are fresh. After that, I think she didn't really agree with his approach, and I think he certainly got the feeling that she either wasn't willing, or able, to do what he was asking her to do. In my opinion it was more the latter, where he realized that she was quite limited as a player.
Aabye5
G.O.A.T.
If Gauff wants to win the tournament, there's a good chance she will have to face Sabalenka either way.
Dominic & Andrey
Legend
Barbora is so random lol. I love it.
tennis4me
Hall of Fame
Percentage of sets is still somewhat possible to "align", maybe?? But the next tiebreaker, percentage games will be near impossible.
Aussie Darcy
Bionic Poster
Man I gotta feel for Swiatek being eliminated despite winning 2 matches and losing just 1.
Always reminds me of those dark years where Radwanska in 2015 and Cibulkova made the SF's despite winning just 1 match and losing 2. Both went on to win the title despite winning just 3 matches the entire tournament.
Those were bleak times.
Always reminds me of those dark years where Radwanska in 2015 and Cibulkova made the SF's despite winning just 1 match and losing 2. Both went on to win the title despite winning just 3 matches the entire tournament.
Those were bleak times.
tennis4me
Hall of Fame
I see now what your talking about after looking at the match results and match completion sequence. Apparently even after Iga's win over Daria, that match didn't matter. I.e. even if Coco were to lose the them upcoming match in straight sets, Iga would've been out due to the sets percentage like you said. Iga was asked about this after her win over Daria. She was asked by a journalist whether she knew that going into that match would've no bearing to her making the SF.
The journalist then explained the situation.
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