Guadalajara, Oct. 21 (BNA): Arina Sabalenka and Daria Kasatkina secured qualification for the WTA Finals on Thursday, while a showdown between Maria Saccari and Veronica Kudretova in Guadalajara will determine the final place in the women’s tour’s end-of-season event.
According to Reuters, the WTA Finals, featuring the world’s top eight singles and doubles players, will begin in Fort Worth, Texas on October 31.
Kasatkina, who lost 6-3 2-6 6-3 to Anna Kalinskaya on Thursday, will make her first appearance in the season finale with wins in San Jose and Granby, while fourth seed Sabalenka will make her second appearance.
Greece’s fourth-seeded Sakari kept her final hopes alive by surviving an early panic and battling from a set down to beat American Danielle Collins 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.
With a decisive set level 3-3, Scary, who missed a set point in the first set, penetrated deep to win three straight games against Collins and advance to the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 event.
Skari will meet Kudremetova, who beat Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-4, and the winner of that match will take the last place in the qualifiers displayed at the finals.
“It was meant to be. Veronica and I were supposed to be in that place and fight each other to get that last place,” Scary told reporters. “I think we both would be very excited to get it.”
Earlier on Thursday, former Australian Open double Victoria Azarenka faced Madison Keys 6-4 6-7 (4) 6-1, ending America’s hopes of qualifying for the finals and setting up a quarter-final showdown with Coco Gauff. who defeated Italian Martina Trevisan 6-0, 6-3.
It will be the first meeting between 33-year-old Azarenka and the American fifteen years her junior, after overcoming second-set errors to send Keys in two hours and 14 minutes.
Goff had booked her ticket to Fort Worth the day before.
American Jessica Pegula, the third seed, kept her impressive compatriot in the 2022 tournament on the way to defeating former US Open winner Bianca Andreescu 6-4 6-4 and will next play her compatriot Sloane Stephens, who beat French Caroline Garcia 7-6 ( 6) and 7-5.
Pegula, a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and the US Open this year, looked in trouble as the Canadian broke her love in the second game of the first set, but quickly found her form, winning just over 70% from first-serve points her across the entire game.
M