WTA Finals: Favourite Iga Swiatek knocked out by Aryna Sabalenka
- Planet Sport writer
- 7 November 2022
Aryna Sabalenka secured her place in the championship decider of the year-end WTA Finals with a victory over world number one Iga Swiatek in Fort Worth, Texas.
It was the second time the Belarusian, ranked seventh, has beaten the Polish star in their six professional meets, ending with a 6-2 2-6 6-1 triumph in just over two hours in Fort Worth.
In doing so, she stunned a world champion. Swiatek has ended the year that saw her reach the top of the game with 67 wins and nine losses.
Sabalenka will face Caroline Garcia, who raced into the final with a one-sided 6-3 6-2 victory over Maria Sakkari, in the final.
A day after she rallied from a set down to beat Daria Kasatkina in a grueling last-four affair, French number six seed Garcia showed little sign of fatigue as she eased past Sakkari in just 75 minutes.
Garcia, 29, becomes the oldest player to reach the final since Venus Williams in 2017.
"This morning, obviously the legs were a bit heavy, but I was just so excited, the emotion and the win yesterday to be playing a semifinal today of the WTA Finals," said Garcia in her on-court interview.
"I was feeling very pumped. This morning I talked to my physio [Laura Legoupil] and I said, 'I hope it's going to last long enough to go to the match.'"
