Her first-ever Hologic WTA Tour 1000 title!!! 🇨🇿 @BKrejcikova claims the @DDFTennis crown with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat over [1] Swiatek 👏 #DDFTennis
WTA Finals Day 2 Preview & Schedule: Swiatek v Krejcikova and Pegula v Gauff to open Orange Group
WTASunday, 03 November 2024 at 01:30
The Orange
Group debuts in the WTA Finals with a pivotal day to set each player’s
tournament ambitions. Day two sees Iga Swiatek return to the court after more
than two months and in need of top form if she hopes to defend her 2023 crown.
Initially,
Swiatek has the more accessible match against Barbora Krejcikova, who has
struggled with a 2-4 record since her Wimbledon title but has proven
challenging for the Polish player, having beaten her in two finals. Meanwhile,
the all-American battle between Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula is open and
crucial for both, given Swiatek’s strong position in the group.
Swiatek begins title defense against Krejcikova
Iga Swiatek
begins her title defense mission two months after her last competition at the
US Open. Recently, she received a penalty for not meeting mandatory tournament
requirements, causing her to drop to world No. 2. Mathematically, she still has
a chance to end the season at the top but would need an undefeated championship
run and losses from Sabalenka in her next two matches (Sabalenka won her debut
against Zheng).
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Swiatek was
nearly unbeatable in the season's first half, finishing the Race with a 54-7
record and five titles, including Roland Garros and four WTA 1000 events.
However, skipping the Asian swing proved costly, as Sabalenka's strong season
finish closed a nearly 4,000-point gap.
On the
other hand, Krejcikova’s credentials include her Wimbledon title this season,
her second Grand Slam. However, her overall 2024 season has been inconsistent,
with a mere 16-13 record. Outside her SW19 success, she has only nine wins. In
fact, Krejcikova only qualified for the WTA Finals thanks to her All England
Club victory, finishing 12th in the Race with 2,814 points, 2,000 from
Wimbledon alone.
Krejcikova
has been a notable challenge for Swiatek, holding a 2-2 head-to-head record and
defeating Swiatek in their last two encounters, in the Ostrava Open 2022 final
and the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships 2023 final, both times when
Swiatek was world No. 1.
Swiatek, a
five-time Grand Slam champion, seems the favorite but can’t dismiss
Krejcikova’s potential; when on form, she’s one of the Tour’s most formidable
players against Swiatek.
Pegula and Gauff face off in All-American clash
An
intriguing debut clash between America’s top two players in women’s tennis over
the past three years. They have met five times before (4-1 in favor of Pegula),
including the WTA Finals semifinals last season, where Pegula dominated her
doubles partner 6-2, 6-1.
Despite an
early-season injury, Pegula had a strong hardcourt swing after Wimbledon,
winning the Canadian Open, finishing runner-up in Cincinnati, and reaching the
US Open final, securing a qualification that seemed unlikely months ago.
Coco Gauff,
on the other hand, saw her ranking drop after failing to defend points during
the hardcourt swing, which led to her parting ways with coach Brad Gilbert. The
20-year-old raised her level in Asia, winning her second WTA 1000 title at the
China Open and reaching the semifinals in the Wuhan Open (losing to Sabalenka).
Gauff will
need to improve her serve to remain competitive. Her last match against
Sabalenka featured 21 double faults, which could be costly against any WTA
Finals opponent. Gauff has also struggled with consistency on her forehand, and
Pegula’s steadiness from the baseline will demand full concentration and
minimized unforced errors from the young star if she wants to beat her
compatriot.
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Latest Comments
- Who is making up these rankings btw?
AceOfBase23-11-2024 - Paolini remarkably low. Must have won tons of matches against lower ranked players. Kind of like these rankings. Seem to be more fair.MrAndreeva23-11-2024
- Why does Tennisuptodate feel like her PR Department's constant deluge of daily/weekly media submissions are 'tennis news' ?
mandoist19-11-2024 - 'Apologies', in cases like this where people are caught being their True Selves, are best shoved up their butts.mandoist19-11-2024
- Paolini playing Swiatek and then has to come back an hour later to play doubles. The BJ Cup is like the rest of tennis entrepreneurs.PalopoDave18-11-2024
