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WTA Finals Weekend Update • State of Play Sees Semifinals Being Set in Guadalajara, Mexico

By: Thomas Cluck

A thrilling, unpredictable, high-energy, and passionate WTA Finals in Guadalajara thus far sees the weekend wrapped in Mexico with one last day of round-robin group play to go before the knockout stages crowns a champion and awards the Billie Jean King Trophy.

The two hottest players on tour at the moment have been the two names in Guadalajara thus far this week with two of the four semifinal spots locked up for Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit, the eighth seed, and Spain’s Paula Badosa, the Indian Wells champion seeded number seven.

One of those winning streaks, the 12-match one of Kontaveit, four times a champion on tour in the last three months, ended on Sunday as the third semifinal spot went to Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain, ending Czech Karolina Pliskova’s Final Four hopes with the 6-4, 6-4 win over group winner Kontaveit to secure the second and last spot out of Group Teotihuacán. 

Spanish tennis player Garbine Muguruza of Spain celebrates her triumph against Anett Kontaveit of Estonia, during a match at the AKRON WTA Finals tournament, in Guadalajara, Mexico, 14 November 2021. EPA-EFE/Francisco Guasco

The other group, Group Chichén-Itzá, will come down to a winner-take-all battle on Monday between two of the fiercest competitors in women’s tennis, top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the world number two, and fourth seed Maria Sakkari of Greece, making for another thrilling duel to delight the energetic Mexican fans this week.

The crowds in Guadalajara, awarded this year’s event after the coronavirus pandemic forced original hosts Shenzhen to have to cancel again in 2021, have enjoyed their first time in the global tennis circuit spotlight and have provided some electric atmospheres to some thrilling affairs thus far. 

Two players of Latin descent have really been adopted as home hopes by the fans in Mexico with Spaniards Muguruza and Badosa having firm support behind them all week so far.

While Badosa’s opponent, Poland’s Iga Swiatek, has already been eliminated- along with Czech Barbora Krejickova in the singles- the final round robin match for Badosa, the only undefeated player left here, will sure to be important and pivotal as the final days of the women’s tennis season come and a season-ending champion will soon be crowned.