The number 1 beaten in two sets, in the event of Swiatek’s success the race to the top of the ranking will reopen
The players can’t wait for the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun to be over, to forget the controversies and go on holiday, and for one of the great announced protagonists the ticket to leave Mexico could arrive sooner than expected. We are talking about world number one Aryna Sabalenka, who lost her match tonight against the American Jessica Pegula (6-4 6-3 score) who flies to the semifinals and puts the Belarusian in difficulty. A match where there was no story, with Pegula always in total control of the situation.
at risk
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The world number 5 could have beaten Sabalenka even more clearly, if only she hadn’t fallen asleep a bit in both sets, where she was ahead 5-2 and even 5-1 respectively, but not bad. To move forward, Sabalenka will now have to beat Elena Rybakina in what is a real play-off. In the other match of the day, the Kazakh defeated the Greek Maria Sakkari, already eliminated, in a good match (6-0 6-7 (4) 7-6 (2) the score), demonstrating however not too much desire of the 2022 Wimbledon winner to be in Cancun right now.
the race
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The fight for number one remains open: in the event of today’s success of Iga Swiatek against Coco Gauff, the first 125 points will be sucked into the challenge of who between the two will end the year as world number 1. The 630 points advantage (which has now risen to 755 because the WTA Finals still provide 125 points at eight just by taking the field in each match of the Round Robin) means that, even here, the margin is considerable and in any case the Pole will need at least get to the final, even if Sabalenka is eliminated. Furthermore, should she win the group, she will find herself against the winner of the play-off between the Belarusian and Rybakina in the semi-final.
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