World Tennis League 2024: Aryna Sabalenka led Hawks seal narrow win over Kites as Falcons await in final
ATP
The final is confirmed at the World Tennis League with Aryna Sabalenka's Hawks set to face Elena Rybakina's Falcons for the title in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.
Sabalenka's Hawks prevailed 20-17 over Kites who had perhaps the best looking team on paper as it featured Simona Halep, Jasmine Paolini, Nick Kyrgios and Casper Ruud. But it was Mirra Andreeva who led from the front this time for Hawks in a team effort.
Her early emphatic wins alongside Aryna Sabalenka who she hilariously said showed her nothing during their time bonding together at the tournament and also in singles proved decisive.
She won 6-1 against Halep and Paolini in the opening women's doubles tie before edging past the latter who has been one of the form players in UAE this week. This gave them a 12-5 lead before Kyrgios and Ruud decisively handed the tie potentially back towards Kites.
They beat Sumit Nagal and Jordan Thompson 6-4. But despite the former losing 6-3 in the men's singles, he won the overtime 1-0 which handed them an extra point and also the victory instead of the tie-break.
They now face Falcons who lost earlier today but was their first all week. They are led by Elena Rybakina who lost twice to Swiatek in singles and doubles today in what was effectively a nothing to gain game for Eagles who lost their first two.
Stefanos Tsitsipas was royally beaten by Andrey Rublev but they still won. But the team which includes Rublev, Caroline Garcia, Denis Shapovalov and the Kazakh ace will now take to the court tomorrow to attempt to win the title.
Rublev and Andreeva are also on opposing teams who won the title last year. So either way one of the tandem of Medvedev, Rublev, Kenin and Andreeva will regain the title for their respective new team.
We see you #TeamKites & #TeamEagles 🧡
— World Tennis League (@TennisWorl76726) December 21, 2024
And we will see you tomorrow #TeamFalcons & #TeamHawks 😉🏆#WTL #finals #etihadarena #uae #AbuDhabi #tslhawks #gamechangersfalcons
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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