WTA Finals: A Recap
The Women’s Tennis Association tournament leaves fans and students buzzing
PETER MENZEL VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
French phenom Caroline Garcia emerged from the Finals as the victor, winning the championship match 7-6, 6-4.
November 16, 2022
One fuzzy little green ball can discern a champion from a qualifier and it can transform a competitor into a winner. This is the power of tennis.
The tennis world has recently turned over a new leaf as renowned players such as Serena Williams and Roger Federer have stepped down from their acclaimed thrones, setting the stage for the next generation. While this historic tennis season is now closing, one final tournament garnered attention from fans for its top-tier level of play: the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals.
At the conclusion of each season, the WTA hosts a competitive tournament with the top eight WTA-ranked players participating in the event. This year the finals were held in Fort Worth, Texas, featuring (in order of rank) Iga Świątek, Ons Jabeur, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Maria Sakkari, Caroline Garcia, Aryna Sabalenka and Daria Kasatkina, all competing for the title. The tournament is set up in a round-robin style, meaning each contestant plays the other, usually in turn. The player with the best record wins the tournament.
In the first rounds of the group stage, there was an immediate upset as Sabalenka (7) came back from a slow first set to take the win over Jabeur (2). The final was 3-6, 7-6, 7-5. This match was followed by Pegula (3), the 28-year-old American, against Greece’s Sakkari (5), squaring off in back-to-back tiebreaker sets, with Sakkari ultimately prevailing.
Then came a battle between up-and-coming U.S. tennis star Gauff (4) against French-favorite Garcia (6). After finally breaking serve in the first set, Garcia was able to convert into winning two straight sets. Lastly was Świątek (1) against Kasatkina (8). Świątek reminded audiences why she is ranked number one in the world by dominating with 6-2, 6-3 sets.
Some Fordham students who kept up with the finals commented on the players, providing their take on how the tournament might play out.
Jabeur and Sakkari met again for the fourth time of their careers, with the expectations of Jabeur’s triumph lingering on everyone’s radar, especially after making finals appearances in two grand slams — Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
“Świątek is looking unstoppable,” tennis fan Noah Hemley, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25, said after the first round of matchups. “Her forehand is insane. I think the only players who could match that level of hitting might be Garcia or Sabalenka.”
The players continued to go head-to-head with one another, leading up to the semi-finals qualifiers. Jabeur and Sakkari met again for the fourth time of their careers, with the expectations of Jabeur’s triumph lingering on everyone’s radar, especially after making finals appearances in two grand slams — Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
“After Jabeur’s performance this year, I was sure that Jabeur would make it into the finals,” another tennis aficionado, Alexa Zeiber, FCLC ’25, noted.
However, Sakkari surprised the masses by shutting down Jabeur in straight sets of 6-2, 6-3.
Pegula and Sabalenka followed, with Sabalenka dominating the first set, leaving Pegula with her back against the wall, fighting to stay in the tournament in the next set. Pegula, with a great fight, was able to hold on to a 5-5 set until Sabalenka eventually broke serve, advancing to the semi-finals with a win of 6-3, 7-5.
Following up, Świątek dominated Gauff, showing the young American why she has yet to be toppled from her throne; the Pole won in straight sets 6-3, 6-0.
Gauff’s loss left both Americans disqualified from the tournament; neither won a single match throughout the event. Thus, the world’s No. 3 and 4 ranked players were dismissed from contention.
“It’s so interesting to see that both Pegula and Gauff got knocked out so early,” Hemley said. “Especially with home court advantage, it’s not often you see players from their home country lose in tournaments, showing the disparity in skill between them and their respective opponents.”
Garcia and Kasatkina clashed to wrap up the group stage, bringing out the true competitor in one another. Kasatkina took the first set 6-4, managing to break Garcia once. She was countered with a formidable response from Garcia, leading the next set 6-1 in Garcia’s favor. They went on to a third and deciding set, leading to a tiebreak where Garcia ultimately prevailed.
“The tournament showed why these players are the best of the best.Their level of play was extraordinary, and it shows that these eight are all of the same calibers.” Noah Hemley, FCLC ’25
In the semi-finals, fans were immediately in for a treat with a great battle of powerful hitting between Sabalenka and Świątek. To everyone’s surprise, Sabalenka shut down Świątek in the first set, capitalizing early and winning the set 6-2.
However, Świątek countered this deficit by mirroring the second set, taking back control and prevailing 6-2 over the Belarusian. In the third and deciding set, Sabalenka came out with a head of steam and defeated Świątek 6-1, advancing to the finals and becoming the third player this season to upset the top-ranked competitor.
“It’s rare to see anyone take down Świątek, especially with the impressive season she’s been having,” Zeiber said. “The game was insane. Sabalenka definitely rose to the occasion.”
On the other side of the bracket, Garcia displayed poise and precision as she handled Sakkari easily, finishing up the semi-final matches 6-3, 6-2.
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Finally, on Monday, Nov. 7, Garcia and Sabalenka met head-to-head to battle for the WTA Finals title. As the match began, the two put their best foot forward, doing everything they could to stay on serve while also doing anything they could to break it.
The first set had no breaks and was soon sent into a tiebreaker, with Garcia pulling through, winning 7-6. As the second set began, Sabalenka was broken early, leaving her fighting during Garcia’s serves to level out the playing field. Despite strenuous efforts and tireless battles, Garcia finished things off, winning the championship 7-6, 6-4 over Sabalenka.
“The tournament showed why these players are the best of the best,” Hemley said. “Their level of play was extraordinary, and it shows that these eight are all of the same calibers.”
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