WTA Finals: Krejcikova ends Pegula’s hopes of making semi-finals
The Czech defeated Jessica Pegula in straight sets on Tuesday to stay afloat for the semi-finals
Zuma / Panoramic
Czech Barbora Krejcikova ended American Jessica Pegula‘s hopes of qualifying for the knockouts of the 2024 WTA Finals on Tuesday, November 5. Krejcikova defeated Pegula 6-3, 6-3 at the King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to record her first win in the competition.
Krejcikova needed only 69 minutes to secure the Orange Group encounter against the No 6 seed. She did it on the back of an impressive 11 aces and an average of 75 percent on first-serve points. The reigning Wimbledon champion had her serve broken once but converted four of the six break points she created on the American’s serve.
The result meant the world No 13 became the lowest-ranked player to score a win at the year-end championships since 2002.
“I was fighting for every ball,” the Czech said after winning. “I felt that I really have to play my best tennis and I was trying to play that and be really, really solid. I’m definitely proud. I had some very high parts of the season, especially winning the Wimbledon final it was something that’s indescribable.”
Set 1: krejcikova strikes late
The opening set between Krejcikova and Pegula witnessed a disciplined start with both players remaining on the serve after the first six games.
The Czech, however, raised her level late in the set, breaking the world No 6 in the latter’s back-to-back service games to take the lead.
Six of the eventual winner’s aces came in the set as Pegula failed to hit any. The American did save two break points and produced an average of 68 percent on the first-serve landings to her opponent’s 53 but it didn’t prove enough.
Set 2: Pegula saves a match point but loses the second
The second set opened differently than the first, with Krejcikova and Pegula exchanging breaks in the second, third, and fourth games. However, the No 8 seed secured one additional break that proved vital as the two players remained unbroken henceforth.
In the ninth game, Pegula managed to save one match point on return but her opponent crossed the finish line by converting the second.
This was Krejcikova’s first win in Riyadh, keeping her afloat for the semi-finals, whereas Pegula’s hopes of qualifying for the final-four ended on Tuesday.
WTA Finals 2024 standings
Orange Group (Wins/Losses)
- Coco Gauff (1/0)
- Iga Swiatek (1/0)
- Barbora Krejcikova (1/1)
- Jessica Pegula (0/2)
Purple Group (Wins/Losses)
- Aryna Sabalenka (2/0)
- Jasmine Paolini (1/1)
- Zheng Qinwen (1/1)
- Elena Rybakina (0/2)
