Barbora Krejcikova defeated Coco Gauff in Riyadh on Thursday to secure her spot in the WTA Finals at the expense of second seed Iga Swiatek.
The Czech Wimbledon champion claimed a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Gauff to end the title defence of Swiatek, who needed Krejcikova to lose in order to make it to the final four.
With one win and one loss under her belt entering the last day of round-robin play, Swiatek’s 6-1, 6-0 victory over alternate Daria Kasatkina did not have any bearing on her qualification chances.
The only scenario that would have led to Swiatek’s advance to the semi-finals would have been a Gauff win over Krejcikova.
That result did not materialise though and the five-time major winner saw her tournament come to an abrupt end on Thursday evening, with Krejcikova punching her ticket to the semi-finals of the WTA Finals for the first time, on her second singles appearance.
Krejcikova moves forward as the winner of the Orange Group, and will face Zheng Qinwen in Friday’s last-four stage, with Gauff advancing as the runner-up to set up a semi-final showdown with world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
“Definitely, this is a big win for me. I’m really happy with how I played and with my performance today. It was a really big match,” said Krejcikova, who saved a remarkable 11 of 12 break points against Gauff.
“Playing tomorrow again is something unimaginable before this tournament and I’m really proud of myself and I’m looking forward to the new challenges.
“I was just fighting for every ball and I knew it’s going to be difficult because I know Coco is on a roll and she’s one of the best players this season. That was a huge challenge but also the big prize, the semis was on the table. I am super excited to be here.”
Gauff saved two match points in a 10-minute final game and had three opportunities to break Krejcikova but the eighth seed would not fold, and she scooped the victory with a service winner after one hour and 42 minutes of play.
Krejcikova, who has won just 21 matches this season, earned her place in the WTA Finals field due to a new rule introduced by the tour in 2024, which gives priority to a reigning Grand Slam champion over the eighth-ranked player in the Race.
As the Wimbledon champion, Krejcikova grabbed the last spot in Riyadh over world number eight Emma Navarro, who chose not to come to the kingdom as an alternate.
Kasatkina, who made $200,000 as an alternate called in to replace the injured Jessica Pegula in Thursday’s schedule, does not think the new rule should have been implemented, and believes the top eight in the year-to-end WTA Race should be the ones competing in the WTA Finals.
“In my opinion, the WTA Race is the WTA Race. So it's about the how many points you earn during the year. If you win a Grand Slam, you already got what you achieved. You won the Grand Slam, points, money, glory, everything,” explained Kasatkina, who noted that she would have still been the first alternate had the rule not been introduced.
“Here it's the WTA Race. So I think in this scenario, it has to go by points.”
Earlier in the day, Swiatek crushed Kasatkina in a mere 51 minutes and later admitted she had no idea her qualification chances solely depended on the result of the evening match.
“Honestly, I don't think it matters, like we go out on court to win every match anyway. So I wasn't thinking about that. I didn't know that this is the case,” said the Polish world number two.
“I'm professional enough to always give 100 per cent no matter what the stakes are.”
She added: “If I'm not going to play semis, then I'll have a couple of days off, and I can't take back time and play better in the match that I played against Coco. I won two matches in the group, so I guess I did everything I could to be there.”
Swiatek’s season is not over yet as she plans on leading Poland next week in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, which kick off in Malaga on November 13.
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
info-box
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Happy Tenant
Started: January 2019
Co-founders: Joe Moufarrej and Umar Rana
Based: Dubai
Sector: Technology, real-estate
Initial investment: Dh2.5 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 4,000
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
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Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MATCH INFO
Schalke 0
Werder Bremen 1 (Bittencourt 32')
Man of the match Leonardo Bittencourt (Werder Bremen)
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
Key fixtures from January 5-7
Watford v Bristol City
Liverpool v Everton
Brighton v Crystal Palace
Bournemouth v AFC Fylde or Wigan
Coventry v Stoke City
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal
Manchester United v Derby
Forest Green or Exeter v West Brom
Tottenham v AFC Wimbledon
Fleetwood or Hereford v Leicester City
Manchester City v Burnley
Shrewsbury v West Ham United
Wolves v Swansea City
Newcastle United v Luton Town
Fulham v Southampton
Norwich City v Chelsea
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE SQUAD
Ali Khaseif, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Khalid Essa, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Salem Rashid, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Mohammed Al Attas, Walid Abbas, Hassan Al Mahrami, Mahmoud Khamis, Alhassan Saleh, Ali Salmeen, Yahia Nader, Abdullah Ramadan, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Fabio De Lima, Khalil Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Muhammed Jumah, Yahya Al Ghassani, Caio Canedo, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
