Things went better for Sebastian Ofner and Jurij Rodionov in Sofia. The Styrian, seeded number seven, defeated the Ukrainian Vitaly Satschko 6:4 3:6 6:2 and will now face the Australian Christopher O’Connell. Rodionov beat Nicolas Moreno de Alboran (USA) 7:6 (4), 6:7 (4) and 6:4.
Even she probably didn’t expect such a clear outcome in the final at the $9 million WTA Finals in Cancun. Iga Swiatek swept the American Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-0 in just 59 minutes in the final postponed to Monday. Pegula reached the final without losing a set. Swiatek made it back to the top of the tennis world rankings at the season finale and replaces Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus.
“Being number one in the world again is certainly a dream come true,” said Swiatek. “I wouldn’t have expected this, but the hard work and focus on the right things has paid off. So I’m really happy,” explained the 22-year-old Pole. Since the unexpected round of 16 exit at the US Open, she has now won twelve of 13 matches and, after the title in Beijing, she has now also won the title in the “Masters” of the eight best players of the season.
Swiatek also didn’t forget to say a special thank you to the audience. Countless days of rain and very windy conditions didn’t make it easy for the fans. Certainly not the actors. That’s why WTA boss Steve Simon’s position seems to be shaky after the prestigious tournament was awarded to Cancun at short notice in the middle of the rainy season and also before ongoing criticism of him.
