WTA Tour Finals

[jimlosaltos]

The WTA Tour Finals in Riyadh are nearing their single elimination semifinals, while the ATP Tour Finals in Turin start November 9th, with the final, eighth position still up for grabs { see separate thread}. Both are broadcast on the Tennis Channel in the US, and presumably the ATP matches will stream on Tennis TV.

While top seed Aryna Sabalenka steam rolled opposition in her round robin group, the other "Serena Williams Group" has been full of surprises. Both Amanda Anisimova, 4th seed, and Elena Rubankina (6), came in on form and laid beatings on world number two, Iga Swiatek, so Iga won't make the singles semifinals.

Both of Iga's losses were somewhat similar, her heavy topspin forehand, which has helped her bake bagels across the WTA and win multiple slams, ran into players with such exquisite timing, they simply hit through her spin and smacked hard, flat forehands seemingly wherever they wanted. Amanda, in particular, is a bad matchup for Iga, bouncing back from her emotional meltdown in the Wimbledon championship match ( losing love and love) to beat Iga in four straight sets across the US Open quarterfinals and this week in the WTA Tour Finals. {Makes one wonder how the WTA landscape would be different if teen phenom Amanda hadn't lost years of her career. Such a talent. But she's back.} One issue that isn't clear to me, is whether the WTA matches were played on the same surface as the Six Kings exhibition. If so, shots on that surface were extremely high bouncing, which should have favored Iga.

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[jimlosaltos]

Elena Rybakina was the last player to qualify for the WTA Tour Finals but she's the last one left standing after taking out world number one, Aryna Sabalenka with a Love-Tiebreak to finish it off hot.

Since getting back her suspended, long-time coach Rybakina has gradually come back to end the year like a rocket, the only undefeated player in the round robin event, topping: Home Aryna, Forum Iga, Groups Anisimova, #5 Pegula, and Visitor Messages Keys

[jimlosaltos]

Juicy sidebar for those that like the gossipy side of pro tennis.

aka "She Who Laughs Last Laughs Best" or "The best revenge is massive success" -- Frank Sinatra.

New WTA Tour Finals champion Elena Rybakina declined a photo with WTA Tour chief executive Portia Archer during Saturday’s trophy ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in the wake of the tour’s investigation into her coach, Stefano Vukov.

Rybakina posed with runner-up Aryna Sabalenka, whom she had defeated 6-3, 7-6(0), but when Archer joined Sabalenka, Rybakina stood away to the right-hand side of the duo. A male official gestured toward Rybakina to join the two women for a picture, but she raised a hand and remained alone.

And:

Rybakina thanked Vukov when she won the Strasbourg International in May, her first title in 13 months, when he was still barred from coaching and attending events. Saturday, he was in her box as she won the second-biggest title of her career, after Wimbledon 2022, and earned more than $5 million in the process.