Coco Gauff played her last round-robin match at the 2024 WTA Finals, and it was a losing effort against Barbora Krejcikova.
The round-robin format at the WTA Finals always makes it interesting to follow, especially during the last matches of the group. Gauff won her first two round-robin matches, securing her semi-final spot.
Krejcikova's situation was different. The Czech player won one match, and she lost the other one, meaning that she had to beat Gauff to secure her semi-final spot.
This match was also important for Iga Swiatek. The Pole won her last round-robin match, but it didn't guarantee her semi-final spot, despite having won two matches at the tournament.
Gauff won the first two matches in straight sets, coming into the last match with a 4-0 set record. Krejcikova's record was 3-2, while Swiatek's, after playing all matches, was 4-3.
That meant that any kind of win was enough for Krejcikova to eliminate the Pole from the tournament. At the same time, Gauff could have influenced the outcome as well, knowing she lost 11 of the 13 matches she played against Swiatek in her career.
Whether she wanted to eliminate the Polish player this way or not will forever remain a mystery, but she also had something to play for, and that was 200 ranking points and prize money. However, also after her last match, Gauff noted that conditions in Riyadh were not easy, and that was apparent in this match.
"The conditions are tough. Nobody is playing solid tennis, the altitude is tough. It's hard to find your timing."
The young American was the first broken player, falling behind 2-3. After that, Krejcikova held her serve, and at 5-4, she served to win the first set of the last round-robin match at the 2024 WTA Finals.
The Czech player couldn't serve out the set, with Gauff breaking back, but immediately after that, the American was broken again. She couldn't hold her serve, and at 5-6, she had to break again to force a tie-break.
The 20-year-old had four break points, but she couldn't use any. On the other hand, one set point was enough for Krejcikova to win the first set 7-5, coming closer to her goal of reaching the semi-finals.
Gauff had two break points already in the second game of the second set, but again, she didn't use her chances. Krejcikova, on the contrary, used her only break point of the set in the ninth game to lead 5-4 and serve for the match.
With the match on the line, both felt the pressure. Gauff had four break-back points, but she ended the match with a terrible record on break points, converting only one of 12 that she had.
As a result, Krejcikova won the match 7-5, 6-4 to secure the semi-final spot. At the same time, she eliminated Swiatek, who won't reach the semi-finals despite winning two matches at the event.
In the semi-finals, Krejcikova, as the winner of the Orange Group, will play against the runner-up from the Purple Group, Qinwen Zheng. Gauff, on the other hand, as the runner-up from the Orange Group, will take on the Purple Group winner, Aryna Sabalenka.
Following her win, Krejcikova was obviously happy to reach the semi-finals of the WTA Finals, also reflecting on her Wimbledon victory, which she called the highest point of her tennis career.
"The Wimbledon victory is definitely the highest point of my career so far. Being here and being able to qualify for the finals, reaching the semis is something unimaginable before this tournament. I’m really proud of myself. I’m looking forward to the new challenges."