CANCUN, Mexico — Ons Jabeur reminded us again Wednesday night that there’s more to her than tennis. After winning her first match at this year’s GNP Seguros WTA Finals, the Tunisian tearfully told the crowd that she would donate part of her winnings to Palestinian aid agencies.
“It’s very sad,” Jabr later told reporters, referring to the conflict in Gaza. “This has been happening for weeks and, honestly, just a tennis match doesn’t mean anything with what’s going on right now.”
It’s a somber and appropriate time to reflect on world events, but heading into Friday — the final day of the round robin — there’s still some on-court business to take care of. Believe it or not, all four players in the Chetumal group are technically still alive.
Here is the scenario:
- If Swiatek defeats Jabr and Gauff defeats Vondrousova, Swiatek will be ranked first in the group and Gauff will be ranked second.
- If Jabr and Vondrousova win their matches against Swiatek and Gauff respectively, Jabr will finish first in the group and Swiatek will be second.
- Vondrousova needs to beat Gauff in straight sets, and Swiatek also needs to beat Jabr in straight sets to have a chance to advance. In this case, Swiatek will take first place in the group, and second place will be decided based on the winning percentage between the remaining three players with a 1-2 record.
- If Vondrousova wins in straight sets but Swiatek wins in three sets, then Swiatek will be first in the group and Jabr second.
- The only way Swiatek might not advance is if she loses to Jabr in straight sets and Gauff wins in straight sets. In that case, Swiatek, Jabr and Gauff would be tied with a 2-1 record and a 4-2 set record, and the semifinals would be decided based on game percentage.
Let’s take a look at those key matchups:
(2) Iga Swiatek vs. (6) Ons Jabr
Swiatek’s case: With seeding yet to be determined, Swiatek isn’t taking anything for granted here.
The 22-year-old from Poland leads the head-to-head 4-2, but they have not played a complete match since the 2022 US Open final. Swiatek won in straight sets, but the decider came in a tight tie-break.
Currently, no one is playing better than Swiatek, and she can still regain her 75th consecutive week at No. 1. She has won eight straight matches, dating back to her title at the China Open in Beijing. Calling her dominant might be understating it a bit.
Swiatek scored 22 points in a 6-0, 7-5 win over GoffUnknown date. 6 wins and 0 losses this season. That matches last year’s total; over the past 30 years, only Serena Williams (25 in 2013) has had more.
Jabr’s case: She knew that in such a large place, she had done this kind of thing before.
Two years ago, in the fourth round at Wimbledon, Jabr lost the first set 7-5 but came back to win 12 of his final 14 games.
Their only meeting this year was in the Stuttgart semifinals, with Jabr retiring after three games with a left calf injury. This is one of those years for the 29-year-old, so Jabeur must feel like she’s playing with the house money.
“Iga is a very smart person and she knows how to adapt to these conditions,” Jabr said. “I’m going to try to enjoy the game. Try to play freely. “Try to release some of my anger and hope for the best. “
Jabeur has a 5-3 record against top 10 players this year.
(3) Coco Gauff vs. (7) Markita Vondrousova
Gough’s case: They’ve met twice, with Goff winning each time – most recently in Montreal and two years ago in Dubai.
“It’s going to be a tricky game because I haven’t hit left-handed in a while,” Goff said. “Even though she hasn’t done well in this tournament yet, she can be a tough player to play. “She can make some great shots, she can play aggressive, she can play defense. “
For the record, Gauff has won his last nine WTA Tour matches against southpaws, with an overall record of 12-3.
She will be motivated going into this match after losing to Swiatek and following her 0-3 singles record in last year’s Fort Worth final.
“I really have to work on keeping my spirits up,” Goff said. “I think there’s going to be a fight on Friday.”
The case of Vondrousova: As long as the odds are stacked against her, any chance of her advancing to the semifinals begins with a win over Gauff.
Her general history suggests this is possible. On her way to the Wimbledon title, Vondrousova defeated top 10 player Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals and defeated Jabr in the final.
The 24-year-old from the Czech Republic has a 5-8 record against top-10 players in 2023.
Double action: The final round-robin round of the Mayakaan bracket will be played on Friday. No. 2 seeds Storm Hunt and Elise Mertens will play No. 5 seeds Demi Schuurs and Desire Krawczyk, while No. 3 seeds Hideko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara will play No. 8 No. 1 seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez.