Defending champion Iga Swiatek’s journey at the 2024 WTA Finals came to a surprising end when Barbora Krejcikova defeated Coco Gauff 7-5 6-4, securing her place in the semifinals and dashing Swiatek’s hopes of advancing. Despite a dominant 6-1 6-0 victory over Daria Kasatkina earlier in the day, the World No.2 was eliminated from the season-ending tournament. Krejcikova’s win meant that Swiatek could not make it past the group stage.
Swiatek had surely hoped to defend her title at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, where the top eight women compete. However, after finishing 2-1 in her group, she was ousted due to a complicated round-robin tiebreaker system favoring Krejcikova and Gauff. This early exit marked an unexpected end to a season filled with high expectations.
Iga Swiatek in 2024:
Great Start to the Season
The Swiatek 2024 season was filled with remarkable achievements as the Polish star continued to dominate the women’s tennis circuit. She started the year with strong performances at key tournaments, capturing titles at the Qatar Open, Indian Wells, Madrid Open, Italian Open, and the French Open.
Her triumph at Roland Garros marked her fourth French Open title, cementing her place among the tournament’s elites like Justine Henin. She also achieved a rare feat by completing the Madrid-Rome-French Open sweep, a feat previously accomplished only by Serena Williams in 2013.
Swiatek’s achievements extended beyond traditional tennis titles. She made history by becoming the first Polish tennis player to win an Olympic medal, earning Bronze in singles at the Paris Summer Olympics. With a win-loss record of 61-9 for the year, Swiatek maintained a position at the top of the rankings, holding the World No. 1 spot for over 100 weeks, despite recent competition from Aryna Sabalenka.
