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Iga Swiatek's commanding victory over Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals of the 2023 WTA Finals on Sunday (November 5) has left tennis fans in awe.
Swiatek has put together a remarkable campaign at the year-end championships. The Pole advanced to the semifinals with dominant victories in all three of her group-stage matches, triumphing over Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur and Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets.
In the semifinals of the event, the 22-year-old locked horns with top seed Aryna Sabalenka in a blockbuster clash. The Pole, who lost her World No. 1 ranking to Sabalenka at the 2023 US Open, secured a commanding 6-3, 6-2 win over the Belarusian. The four-time Grand Slam champion will now square off against Jessica Pegula for her maiden WTA Finals title.
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If Iga Swiatek emerges victorious in the final, she will reclaim the top spot in the rankings and secure a second consecutive year-end No. 1 finish. However, if she loses the final, Sabalenka will clinch the year-end World No. 1 ranking for the first time in her career.
Swiatek's impressive victory over Sabalenka received significant praise from tennis fans on social media, with one fan hailing it as among the biggest "statement victories" they had ever seen.
"One of the biggest statement victories I’ve ever seen. Best hard court match from start to finish in 2023 for Iga Swiatek. Just sublime!" the fan posted.
Other fans rejoiced as the Pole added another feather to her cap by claiming her first-ever win against a World No. 1.
"It's kinda weird to think given all her achievements and her incredible career that she was still missing this one thing. But there it is, Iga Swiatek gets her first career world number 1 win," a fan commented.
"Iga's first ever win vs world no. 1 (mainly because she was world no.1 herself for 3/4 of her stay in top 10 lol)," another fan chimed in.
Here are a few more fan reactions:
Iga Swiatek: "Me and Jessica Pegula, we played really in a smart way, we both deserve to be in a final"
Following her win over Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek reflected on reaching her first-ever WTA Finals final and opened up about what made the achievement so special.
"It's not like the biggest final, but it's one of the biggest finals that I played. So for sure, exciting and a little bit different challenge, because I've never been in the final of WTA Finals. So you know, last match of the season and all that stuff. All the fuss around the tournament makes it special," she was quoted as saying by the WTA website.
The Pole also commended her and Jessica Pegula's campaign in Cancun, highlighting their focus and resilience, in particular. She asserted that both of them deserved to compete in the title clash.
"But overall, I feel like me and Jessie, we played really in a smart way and we really kept calm. We're pretty focused and just taking the most we can from these matches and conditions. So I truly think that we both deserve to be in a final," she said.
Iga Swiatek leads 5-3 in her head-to-head against Pegula. However, it was the American who claimed a 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-4 victory in their most recent encounter in the 2023 Canadian Open semifinals.
