Day Six of the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun will take place today, Friday, November 3, with the Chetumal and Bacalar groups drawing to a close in Friday's preview.
The 2023 WTA Finals is now in full swing as players battle it out for a spot in the semi-finals. Iga Swiatek is set to face Ons Jabeur after Elena Rybakina concludes her clash with Aryna Sabalenka. Meanwhile, Coco Gauff will face Marketa Vondrousova, the latter of whom will be hoping for the stars to align in order to progress at the championships.
First up, top seed Sabalenka will resume her match against World No. 4 Rybakina. The top seed has already secured the first set 6-2 but Rybakina fought back in the second and was about to serve for the set at 5-3 when the clash was suspended due to rain.
This delay could prove to be crucial to the outcome of the match, as Rybakina will have to re-find the momentum that she had built up throughout the second set, while Sabalenka will have had time to re-set and thus may be able to fight back.
Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka in three sets.
Following this, World No. 3 Gauff will play against World No. 6 Vondrousova. Prior to this match, the American player defeated Ons Jabeur 6-0, 6-1 before losing to Iga Swiatek 0-6, 5-7. Meanwhile, Vondrousova is yet to win a match at the tournament, having lost to Jabeur and Swiatek in straight sets.
Therefore, if Gauff defeats Vondrousova, she will only fail to qualify for the tournament if Jabeur beats Swiatek in straight sets. Meanwhile, the Czech player is still in a slim chance of qualifying but will need to win against Gauff in straight sets. Even then, she would still be reliant on Swiatek ousting Jabeur in straight sets as well. However, as Gauff leads their head-to-head 2-0, elimination seems to be a likelier possibility for Vondrousova.
Prediction: Coco Gauff in straight sets
Finally, Swiatek and Jabeur will face each other in a bid to advance from the group stage. The Polish player's chances are greater due to her two previous victories. However, if she loses to Jabeur in straight sets and Gauff wins her clash against Vondrousova in straight sets, the Tunisian player could still make it through.
However, Swiatek currently leads their head-to-head 4-2 and looks to be very much on form in Cancun, suggesting that such a scenario may be difficult for Jabeur to achieve.
Prediction: Iga Swiatek in straight sets
In a rematch of the Wimbledon final, Ons Jabeur wins this time, beating Marketa Vondrousova for the first time in four matches in 2023: 6-4, 6-3. Stays alive in the WTA Finals before her Friday match vs. Iga Swiatek. In fact, all four players can still qualify in this group...
