Iga Swiatek demolishes Pegula to clinch WTA Finals crown
Nov 07, 2023
Mexico City [Mexico], November 7 : World second-ranked Iga Swiatek produced a dominating performance to sweep past Jessica Pegula with a commanding 6-1, 6-0 victory, claiming the WTA Finals title.
The 22-year-old Polish player's victory over American Pegula ensures she will surpass current world number one Aryna Sabalenka to finish as the year-end No.1 for the second straight season.
"Coming back to world number one, it's a dream come true, for sure. I would say I wasn't expecting that right now, this season. I was hoping that maybe next year is gonna be my year, but it seems like you know, just working hard and focusing on the right things at the end worked. So I'm really happy," Swiatek was quoted as saying by WTA.
Swiatek faced Pegula for the fourth time this season, holding a 5-3 overall head-to-head record, but the American had beaten her twice this season. Swiatek won her first title of the season in Doha, defeating Pegula in the final in three games. She'd win her final title of the season by losing one.
Swiatek broke first to take a 3-1 lead in the first set. The passion, quick footwork, and baseline aggression that she displayed in her easy semifinal win over Sabalenka remained against Pegula.
The Polish star won the first set in 27 minutes, a troubling indication for Pegula given Swiatek's dominant 60-1 record in opening frames this season. She maintained her lead by breaking Pegula in the first game of the second set.
"She played really solid. I felt like she really was putting a lot of pressure on me. And I think I just was overplaying a lot today. I don't know why. But it just was one of those days where I felt like I was going for too much," Pegula said.
With Pegula unable to find consistent depth to push Swiatek out of her comfort zone, she finished her ruthless performance by winning 11 consecutive games and clinching the championship in 59 minutes.
Swiatek defeated three reigning major champions in straight sets last week, including Australian Open champion Arya Sabalenka, US Open champion Coco Gauff, and Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova. In Cancun, she did not lose a single set.
