After loss to Iga Swiatek, Daria Kasatkina takes a dig at rule that allowed Barbora Krejcikova to qualify for WTA Finals
Daria Kasatkina recently expressed her views on Barbora Krejcikova receiving the final spot at the 2024 WTA Finals. Krejcikova was ranked 13th in the women’s singles rankings before the year-end championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia began. However, she made the cut thanks to her Wimbledon title run earlier in the season.
According to the qualifying rules for the WTA Finals, the first seven spots are reserved for the seven highest-ranked players before the tournament. The eighth and final spot goes to either the eighth-highest pro in the rankings or a player who won a Major that year and was ranked in the 8-20 range.
Thanks to the aforementioned rule, Barbora Krejcikova qualified for the WTA Finals and has made the most of the opportunity. After wasting a set lead to lose against Iga Swiatek in her round-robin opener, the 28-year-old downed Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula to top her group and reach the semifinals.
World No. 9 Kasatkina, meanwhile, made the trip to Riyadh as the first alternate (since Emma Navarro, ranked eighth, declined the first alternate spot). The Russian replaced the injured Pegula for just one match and lost 1-6, 0-6 to Swiatek, marking a disappointing end to her second career appearance at the year-end championships.
Following her loss, Kasatkina spoke to The National about the criterion that allowed Barbora Krejcikova to qualify for the elite eight tournament ahead of her. She maintained that all the spots at the event should’ve been decided based on the WTA Race rankings regardless of whether or not a player won a Grand Slam tournament.
