Iga Swiatek left confused after discovering WTA Finals win ‘didn’t matter’

Iga Swiatek, the world No. 2 tennis player, was left in a state of confusion at the WTA Finals after being told her final group match win had no impact on her advancement to the semi-finals.
Despite her impressive victory over Russian player Daria Kasatkina with a score of 6-1 6-0, she still needed Coco Gauff’s help to reach the semi-finals. The Polish star seemed unaware of this during her post-match press conference and appeared puzzled when asked: “Did you realise going in this match would have no bearing on your advancement to the semi-finals?”.
Swiatek responded: “Umm, you mean it didn’t matter? Why did it not? ” A journalist then explained the complex tie-breakers, stating, “Basically winning or losing, your result doesn’t matter, the later one does.”
Initially concerned, Swiatek eventually laughed off the situation, saying, “Oh, well….thanks,” However, the five-time Grand Slam champion was later eliminated from the tournament as Gauff, who had already secured her place in the final four, lost 7-5 6-4 to Barbora Krejcikova.
The Wimbledon champion dramatically saved four break points in the game where she eventually served out the match to make the knockout stage at Swiatek’s expense. Victory also meant the Czech player topped the Orange group, setting up a Friday clash with Chinese seventh seed Zheng Qinwen. Gauff meanwhile, will play Belarusian world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Despite her ruthless display, Swiatek has failed to defend the title she won so emphatically in 2023. The 23 year old, who this year captured a fourth French Open crown, ultimately paid the price for losing to Gauff in the group stages in Riyadh.
DON’T MISS: 
Danielle Collins shares heartbreaking reason for U-turn on tennis retirementDjokovic’s former coach names one condition he would support Serb’s opponentCoco Gauff overcomes ‘sloppiness’ as end-of-year world No.1 decided
That’s despite beating Krejcikova in her opening game, with all three players finishing the group stage with two wins each. Swiatek was also undone by the withdrawal of Jessica Pegula, who pulled out of their clash with a knee injury.
The American had lost her opening two matches, with Kasatkina then being called in to play the Polish star. Remarkably, Swiatek did not realise her situation before stepping onto the court.
Her coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, spoke about the situation to Sky Sports before the game, but the message seemingly wasn’t passed on to the player.