Iga Swiatek was brought back down to earth at the WTA Finals after being brutally told her final group match win didn’t matter. The world No.2 did her job by hammering Russian player Russian Daria Kasatkina 6-1 6-0, but was still left needing a favour off Coco Gauff to make the semi-finals.
But the Polish star didn’t appear to realise that when she attended her post-match press conference, and looked confused when asked: “Did you realise going in this match would have no bearing on your advancement to the semi-finals?”
Swiatek replied: “Umm, you mean it didn’t matter? Why did it not?”
The journalist then asked “Complicated tie-breakers, no one told you?” One of his media colleagues then joined in with an explanation. “Basically winning or losing, your result doesn’t matter, the later one does.”
Swiatek initially looked concerned as she took in the news, but then did afford herself her laugh when the reality of the situation dawned on her. “Oh, well….thanks,” she said.
And the five-time Grand Slam champion did indeed then suffer the agony of watching herself get eliminated from afar. Gauff, who had already made the final four, failed to do her rival a favour as she was beaten 7-5 6-4 by Barbora Krejcikova.
The Wimbledon champion dramatically saved four break points in the game where she eventually served out the match to make the knockout stage at Swiatek’s expense. Victory also meant the Czech player topped the Orange group, setting up a Friday clash with Chinese seventh seed Zheng Qinwen.
Gauff meanwhile, will play Belarusian world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka. And despite her ruthless display, Swiatek has failed to defend the title she won so emphatically in 2023.
The 23-year-old, who this year captured a fourth French Open crown, ultimately paid the price for losing to Gauff in the group stages in Riyadh. That’s despite beating Krejcikova in her opening game, with all three players finishing the group stage with two wins each.
Swiatek was also undone by the withdrawal of Jessica Pegula, who pulled out of their clash with a knee injury. The American had lost her opening two matches, with Kasatkina then being called in to play the Polish star.
But what was remarkable was Swiatek not realising her situation before stepping onto the court. Her coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, spoke before the game about the situation to Sky Sports, but the message seemingly wasn’t passed on to the player.