RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — On Thursday at the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF Barbora Krejcikova and Iga Swiatek will play for the second semifinal spot. The catch is that they won’t be playing each other.
Coco Gauff, after a sparkling victory over Swiatek, has already advanced. Fellow American Jessica Pegula has been eliminated. Still, they’ll both have a hand in the end result.
Of the five possible outcomes, only one sends Swiatek to the semifinals — but based strictly on the seeds, it is the most likely. Quite simply, Swiatek needs to defeat Pegula, while Gauff beats Krejcikova.
If Krejcikova wins, she’s in. There’s even a scenario (Gauff and Pegula both win) that advances Krejcikova with a 1-2 record.
It’s been a turbulent few months for Swiatek. After losing to Pegula in the quarterfinals of the US Open, she switched coaches and sat out the Asian swing. Here in Riyadh, she came back from a set and two breaks down before beating Krejcikova. Her straight-sets loss to Gauff confirmed that, at least mentally, she wasn’t in match shape. Her frustration was evident from the start.
“I had to have my head kind of on a leash and control it all the time,” Swiatek told reporters. “So I didn’t have that, tight moments, in two months. So I kind of forgot how it is and how much of energy it takes.
“It’s a reminder that nothing comes for free. You always seem to work 100 percent because in tennis the momentum can change pretty quickly. You need to be consistent throughout the whole match, basically to win.”
