WTA Finals: Swiatek beats Kasatkina, awaits Gauff match to know fate

Presumably, Iga Swiatek understood going in that her Thursday match against alternate Daria Kasatkina would have no bearing on her chances of advancing to the semifinals.

You never would have known it from the intensity she displayed at the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF.

Swiatek was a 6-1, 6-0 winner in a match that was over in 51 minutes, the fastest match at the year-end finale in at least eight years. She won an extraordinary 51 of 74 points and broke Kasatkina’s serve five of six times.

That gave Swiatek a 2-1 record in group play and left her a keen observer of the second singles match between Coco Gauff and Barbora Krejcikova.

Swiatek had been scheduled to play 0-2 Jessica Pegula, but she pulled out of the last group match Wednesday night with an injured left knee. That meant Swiatek would now play Kasatkina, the No.9-ranked player in the world.

Originally, Swiatek would have needed a victory over Pegula — and a later win by Gauff over Krejcikova — in order to advance. But because of the altered tiebreak permutations, Swiatek’s result against Kasatkina became irrelevant. Meaning Gauff alone holds the key to Swiatek’s advancement. If the 20-year-old American beats Krejcikova, Swiatek goes through to the semifinals. If Krejcikova wins, she advances.

In the end, Swiatek’s earlier 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 comeback victory over Krejcikova set that scenario in motion. Swiatek came back from down a set and two breaks.

With Coco Gauff already through, who will join her as the second semifinalist from the Orange Group?

Pegula struggled in her first two matches but had beaten Swiatek four times in previous matches. Kasatkina, meanwhile, had lost five of six matches to Swiatek. After taking the first meeting three years ago in Eastbourne, Kasatkina failed to win a set in five matches they played in 2022 — in Melbourne, Dubai, Doha, Roland Garros and at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth. In fact, Kasatkina averaged fewer than four games in those encounters.

The trend continued when Swiatek broke Kasatkina’s first service game. And then the second. Swiatek won 28 of 35 points in racing to a 5-0 lead before Kasatkina claimed her first game at the 22-minute mark. Three minutes later, Swiatek converted her second set point with a resounding ace.

Swiatek had lost four consecutive matches against Top 10 players this year — Zheng Qinwen (Paris Olympics), Aryna Sabalenka (Cincinnati), Pegula (US Open) and Gauff (WTA Finals) — the longest such streak of her career.

Only Aryna Sabalenka (11) has claimed more WTA top 10 wins in 2024 than Swiatek, who is now 10-4.

Swiatek, 23, could become the youngest player to reach three consecutive semifinals at the WTA Finals since Maria Sharapova, who achieved four straight between 2004-07.