The eight-woman field at the 2024 WTA Finals has been reduced to just four players as semifinal matches are now set. World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka will play Coco Gauff in the most anticipated match of the day. Olympic Gold Medalist Qinwen Zheng will play Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova. Who will reach the championship match in Riyadh?
WTA Finals Semifinal Predictions
Barbora Krejcikova vs Qinwen Zheng
Head-to-head: Zheng 1-0 Krejcikova
Barbora Krejcikova turned her campaign around after her shocking collapse against Iga Swiatek in the opening match. With two successive victories, the Czech clinched a spot in the semifinal in the most unexpected way. She also topped the group after defeating Coco Gauff in straight sets. That result means that all four semifinalists have lost at least once during the week. It also eliminated defending champion Swiatek.
Zheng, meanwhile, continues soaring to new heights. She is a semifinalist at the WTA Finals on debut. The Chinese won the pair’s only meeting last year in Zhengzhou, but this looks like a matchup that slightly favors the experienced Krejcikova, who has been tactically inch-perfect. She’s also shown exceptional mental toughness to turn around her campaign after blowing a massive lead in her opening group match. Expect Krejcikova to motor into the final.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 3
Aryna Sabalenka vs Coco Gauff
Head-to-head: Sabalenka 4-4 Gauff
Sabalenka comfortably qualified for the semifinal as the group winner with one match to spare. However, her defeat to Elena Rybaina in the dead rubber on Wednesday prevented her from completing a clean sweep of victories. But she won’t lose sleep over it, and the outspoken Belarusian questioned her motivation heading into that match. The good news for Sabalenka is that she has clinched the year-end World No. 1 ranking. So, the element of added pressure won’t be there, as was the case 12 months ago in Cancun.
Coco Gauff, for her part, won two matches in the Orange Group but lost to Krejcikova in straight sets in the decisive round-robin match to determine who finished first. The American will now have a much more daunting knock-out match against Sabalenka, who has beaten her twice in 2024 (although she should have won their most recent match in Wuhan). Still, as physically imposing as Sabalenka is, Gauff is one of the most resilient defenders. If she forces Sabalenka into playing more strategically, she might just be able to frustrate her.
Prediction: Gauff in 3
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
