Swiatek fails

Krejcikova completes semi-finals of the WTA Finals

Barbora Krejcikova celebrates reaching the semi-finals.(Bild: AFP/APA/Fayez NURELDINE)

Thanks to a 7:5,6:4 victory over the already qualified Coco Gauff, the Czech Barbora Krejcikova secured the last place in the semi-finals of the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Thursday. The number two in the world tennis rankings, Poland's Iga Swiatek, lost out. Swiatek had previously won 6:1, 6:0 against Darja Kassatkina, who had stepped in for the injured Jessica Pegula.

She then had to watch Krejcikova play strongly against Gauff. The Czech, who is only allowed to take part in the tournament in Saudi Arabia due to a special rule, even went on to win the group. This means that two outsiders will now face two favorites: Krejcikova will play China's Zheng Qinwen, while Gauff will take on Aryna Sabalenka, the WTA number one.

Krejcikova is currently only ranked 13th in the world. She qualified for the tournament of the year's top eight players by winning Wimbledon. Anyone who has won a Grand Slam tournament this year and is ranked in the top 20 can claim a starting place for the final tournament of the season.