2021 WTA Finals: Women's singles group analysis, preview & prediction
The 2021 WTA season will come to a conclusion as the final event of the year, the 2021 WTA Finals, is set to begin in a couple of days. The 50th edition of the event is set to take place in Guadalaraja, Mexico, where eight of the best-performing players of the year will vie for the crown.
The 2021 WTA Finals will be held from 10--17 November with six women making their debuts at the event - sabalenka" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Aryna Sabalenka, krejcikova" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Barbora Krejcikova, Maria Sakkari, swiatek" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Iga Swiatek, Paula Badosa and Anett Kontaveit. Karolina Pliskova and Garbine Muguruza are the only two players to have played in the event before.
A Mariachi welcome 🇲🇽🎶
Our first finalists have arrived in Guadalajara! 🤗
#AKRONWTAFinals https://t.co/VlbkJhZoMC
Krejcikova is also the only 2021 Grand Slam winner who's participating, as Ashleigh Barty withdrew despite qualifying, while Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu failed to make the cut.
The draw for the 2021 edition has been revealed with players being divided into two groups - Group Chichen Itza and Group Teotihuacan. The round-robin format delivers some amazing match-ups and here's a look at how the draw could unfold over the next week.
Group Chichen Itza - Future stars look to make their mark at the WTA Finals
With the group having four out of this year's six debutants, it's a huge opportunity for Aryna Sabalenka, Maria Sakkari, Iga Swiatek, and Paula Badosa to capitalize on and boost their credentials.
While Sabalenka is the top seed here and ranked number two in the world, she's coming into the tournament with a lack of momentum and form. She tested positive for Covid and had to withdraw from Indian Wells. Upon her return to action, she won a tough three-set encounter at the Kremlin Cup against Ajla Tomljanovic before losing in the next round in straight sets to Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The Belarusian has a 4-1 record against Sakkari and trails 0-1 against Badosa while she hasn't played against Swiatek yet. After a career-best season, it remains to be seen if Sabalenka will be able to display similar form that saw her reach two Grand Slam semifinals and win a WTA 1000 event.
Maria Sakkari is the only player in this group without a title this year despite having a good season, and the WTA Finals is her last opportunity to win one. She'll be looking to emulate compatriot Stefanos Tsitsipas, who won the ATP Finals in 2019. She has a winning record against Iga Swiatek, leading 2-0 while trailing 1-4 against Sabalenka and hasn't played against Badosa so far.
Iga Swiatek didn't match the highs of her previous season by winning a Grand Slam this year, but she put together a consistent season that saw her ranking rise to number 4. She handed Karolina Pliskova a 6-0 6-0 defeat to win her maiden WTA 1000 in Rome and was the only woman to reach at least the fourth round or better at all Grand Slams.
Swiatek has a losing record against two group members, trailing Sakkari and Badosa 0-2 and 0-1 in the head-to-head respectively while she hasn't played against Sabalenka yet. The Pole has a huge task on her hands if she wants to progress further than the round-robin stage.
Paula Badosa won the biggest title of her career at Indian Wells by defeating two-time Grand Slam winner Victoria Azarenka to secure her position in the WTA Finals. The win also resulted in her top ten debut.
In the midst of a breakthrough season, the Spaniard has often been compared to her idol Maria Sharapova and will look to follow in her footsteps by winning the event on her debut. Badosa is yet to face Sakkari and with a combined 2-0 head-to-head against Sabalenka and Swiatek, she'll fancy her chances of making a deep run here.
Predicted semifinalists: Maria Sakkari, Paula Badosa
Group Teotihuacan - WTA Finals veterans and newbies set to face off
The group has returning players and former world number ones Karolina Pliskova and Garbine Muguruza alongside WTA Finals debutants Barbora Krejcikova and Anett Kontaveit.
After being a successful doubles player for a few years, Krejcikova continued her good showing in that discipline this year and found success in singles as well. She won her maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros and her overall third title in doubles there as well along with the Olympic gold medal in doubles.
She is the only player to compete in singles and doubles at the WTA Finals this year, and the first to do so since 2016 when Pliskova also made her WTA Finals debut singles and doubles.
Krejcikova has a winning record against Muguruza, leading 2-1, while trailing Pliskova 0-2 and is yet to play Kontaveit. She participated in the Billie Jean King Cup last week and was hampered by an injury, which could potentially affect her WTA Finals performance as well.
Karolina Pliskova has been a model of consistency since her breakthrough in 2016 and will be making her fifth consecutive appearance at the WTA Finals. However, after a dismal start to the season and eventually falling out of the top ten for the first time since 2016, the former world no. 1 bounced back by making the Wimbledon final and continuing her good showing in subsequent tournaments too.
Pliskova hasn't played since a surprise third-round loss to Beatriz Haddad Maia at Indian Wells, but has made the semifinals the last three times she played in the WTA Finals coupled with a good record against her opponents, she'll have enough confidence to do well here.
While she has dominated every member of her group in their head-to-head -- leading Muguruza 8-2, Kontaveit 3-0 and Krejcikova 2-0 -- navigating tricky matches in high altitude conditions might not be easy for the former World No. 1 as she aims to win her first title of the season.
Garbine Muguruza will be making her fourth appearance at the WTA Finals. Her best result at the event was a semifinal showing during 2015 debut. Her struggles with form saw her fail to qualify for the event in 2018 and 2019, but since 2020 the Spaniard has been playing remarkably well.
The two-time Grand Slam winner made a blazing start to the 2021 season, reaching two finals and winning the WTA 1000 in Dubai. She struggled with injury during the middle of the year but bounced back to win her second title of the season at the WTA 500 in Chicago and reached the fourth round of the US Open.
Muguruza's head-to-head is a matter of concern as she trails Pliskova and Krejcikova 2-8 and 1-2 respectively, while being tied 2-2 with Kontaveit. The former no. 1 will have to play some of her best tennis if she wants to make a deep run at the WTA Finals.
Until a few weeks ago, it seemed like Anett Kontaveit had no chance of qualifying for the WTA Finals. However, in a remarkable turnaround, she has won four titles since the end of August, compiling a 26-2 record, including an ongoing 10 match win streak and is the player to beat at the WTA Finals.
A truly remarkable end-of-season run 🏁
🇪🇪 Anett Kontaveit clinches the last spot in the @Porsche #RaceToTheWTAFinals! https://t.co/oRqgfMzM9N
She only trails Pliskova 0-3 in the head-to-head, while being tied 2-2 against Muguruza and is yet to play Krejcikova. Kontaveit is extremely high on confidence given her performances over the last couple of months and will look to make the most of her hot streak to win the biggest title of her career.
Predicted semifinalists: Karolina Pliskova and Anett Kontaveit
Semifinal predictions
Paula Badosa (2nd in group Chichen Itza) to defeat Karolina Pliskova (1st in group Teotihuacan)
Anett Kontaveit (2nd in group Teotihuacan) to defeat Maria Sakkari (1st in group Chichen Itza)
Predicted final: Paula Badosa vs Anett Kontaveit
Predicted champion: Anett Kontaveit