Defending champion Iga Swiatek books fourth straight WTA Finals spot - 'A great feeling to qualify'
Published 07/08/2024 at 13:35 GMT+1
Poland's Iga Swiatek, World No. 1 and the dominant player on tour for much of the last few seasons, has become the first player to qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals. The 23-year-old has had an excellent season, winning four Masters titles, the French Open, and an Olympic bronze medal last week. She has now qualified for the prestigious tournament for the fourth consecutive year.
Swiatek 'different class' as she bounces back from heartbreak to claim bronze
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World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has become the first player to qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals, making the tournament for a fourth consecutive year.
Swiatek is the defending champion and has dominated much of the season so far, having held top spot in the race to qualify since March.
The 23-year-old has won five titles from 11 tournaments she has played this year, including a fifth Grand Slam at the French Open in May and WTA 1000 titles in Doha, Rome, Indian Wells and Madrid.
“It's a great feeling to qualify for the WTA Finals for the fourth year in a row,” Swiatek said.
"I hope that the performances of the eight best players of the season will give a lot of joy to the fans all over the world."
The tournament features the top eight singles players and doubles teams, each competing in a round-robin before the knockout stages.
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Seedings for the prestigious season-ending tournament come from the 'Race to the WTA Finals', taken from ranking points earned throughout the year.
Just after the halfway mark of the season, Swiatek has 7,465 points, an advantage of more than 2,500 over Elena Rybakina, who sits in second place in the current standings.
Alongside her string of titles, the Pole also achieved a 21-match winning streak across clay and grass.
The Finals, which will be played from November 2 to 9, will be the first to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The move to Saudi Arabia has come under criticism in some quarters, notably from tennis legends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, due to the country's repression of women's and LGBTQ citizens' rights.
New tournament director, former two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza, said, “Following another outstanding season on the Hologic WTA Tour that has seen Iga once again set new heights and break records, I’m delighted to be able to welcome our World No. 1 to the WTA Finals.
"Iga and the rest of the WTA Finals qualifiers will inspire women and girls in the region and showcase this amazing sport on a world-class stage.”
Swiatek's most recent achievement was a bronze medal at the Olympics last week, although it will not contribute towards her ranking points.
The Pole was the runaway favourite at Paris 2024 before even taking to the court. Many observers saw her as unbeatable on the Roland Garros clay, where she has won four titles in the last five years, and several of her major rivals - notably Aryna Sabalenka and Rybakina - did not take part.
But she experienced a rare off day in her semi-final against eventual gold medallist Qinwen Zheng, appearing overwhelmed by the pressure of the Olympics and playing an inspired opponent.
Swiatek recovered from the loss to sweep past Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the bronze medal match and explained after how much an Olympic medal meant to her.
“I think that my sister and I - she can confirm that - we were raised around the myth of the Olympics," Swiatek said.
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Watch as inconsolable Swiatek ends interview early after Zheng loss at Olympics
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“I think that's why I threw a lot at myself during this tournament. That's why I'm even happier that I did it.
“In tennis, for most of the players, the Olympics aren't that important. A lot of people, as you can see, didn't even participate in the tournament. But for us, it was really important."
The five-time major winner will likely return to action in Cincinnati as attention turns to the US hard-court swing, culminating in the US Open, which Swiatek won in 2022.
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