SINGAPORE: A supremely unpredictable women’s tennis season will culminate in fitting style at the elite WTA Finals, where seven out of eight players can win the trophy and also be crowned year-end world number one.
Simona Halep, who became 2017’s fifth number one earlier this month, leads a field which also throws up the beguiling possibility of Venus Williams, 37, returning to the top of the rankings for the first time since 2002.
Women’s tennis has been on a rollercoaster ride this year, with four different major-winners and no player able to dominate in the absence of Serena Williams, who took a break to give birth to her first child.
Halep said the result was that every match would be “like a final” in Singapore, where action gets underway at the Indoor Stadium on Sunday.
Garbine Muguruza, Karolina Pliskova, Elina Svitolina, Caroline Wozniacki and Jelena Ostapenko can also become world number one at the tournament, while Caroline Garcia becomes the first Frenchwoman to reach the Finals.
“We have the top eight players in the world, and everyone is playing crazy tennis. I just want to go there and to try to win every match I can,” said Romania’s Halep.
Wimbledon champion Muguruza was deposed as world number one by Halep but she said she would have to be at her very best if she wants to win the year-end trophy and rankings crown on October 29.
“It is important, I’m not going to lie, but I know I have to play well,” Muguruza told reporters, when asked about returning to the top of the rankings.
“I know there are so many girls, players, that have the chance. I’m happy that I got it in the past, and now I’m not that nervous or obsessed. I think it’s different. (But) I’m going to fight for that.”
Halep faces debutantes Svitolina and Garcia in the Red Group round robin, along with the veteran Wozniacki, while Muguruza is in White Group with Williams, Pliskova and French Open champion Ostapenko.
Garcia may be the lowest-ranked player, but she is on an 11-match winning streak after her back-to-back victories in Wuhan and Beijing.
Williams, the only player in the field to have lifted the Billie Jean King Trophy — in Doha in 2008 — said the WTA Tour’s strength in depth had made for an outstanding season.
“Just the depth in the game. The competition is so much greater. It’s a beautiful change, in fact,” she said.
Williams, resurgent after her battle with Sjogren syndrome, an autoimmune disorder, has had a remarkable year, reaching two Grand Slam finals and qualifying for the WTA Finals for the first time since 2009.
The Czech Republic’s Pliskova, another of this year’s world number ones, said it was impossible to tell who will finish on top next weekend.
“It’s very tough to get there, but on the other hand, we are all so close to everyone now on the ranking,” she said.
“So this tournament is really going to decide who is going to finish the year world number one. I think everybody has a good chance,” added Pliskova.
Tennis: Venus at number one? Could happen at WTA Finals
Tennis: Venus at number one? Could happen at WTA Finals
Al-Ittihad drop points in Abha as Al-Fateh cruise to fifth consecutive win
- Al-Ittihad’s perfect run of form since the Arab Cup break comes to an end after 1-1 draw against Damac
- Al-Fateh defeat Al-Riyadh 3-1 to extend winning streak to five games
RIYADH: Matchday 15 of the Saudi Pro League continued on Tuesday with three fixtures across three cities. Al-Ittihad shared the spoils with Damac in Abha, Al-Okhdood edged Al-Kholood 1-0 in Najran, while Al-Fateh defeated Al-Riyadh 3-1 in Al-Ahsa.
The result in Abha was a disappointing one for the defending champions. Since their defeat to city rivals Al-Ahli on November 8 of last year, Al-Ittihad had won every match in the league. Damac proved stubborn opposition at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Stadium, which welcomed a vibrant crowd, split — albeit unevenly — between Damac’s red and Al-Ittihad’s black and yellow.
Early signs suggested the visitors were in control. From the outset, the threat of Moussa Diaby stretching the pitch down the right, combined with Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti’s underlapping runs, led Al-Ittihad to what appeared to be an early opener in the 3rd minute.
Al-Shanqeeti, providing the connection between Diaby and Karim Benzema, took advantage of a failed clearance to fire past Damac goalkeeper Kewin. Unfortunately for the visitors, the goal was ruled out, as Diaby failed to keep the ball in play before delivering the cross.
Damac gradually grew into the contest, with their compact 5-4-1 shape limiting the opposition from establishing control. Al-Ittihad resorted to direct balls from deep to exploit space in behind, but the well-drilled Damac defence consistently denied them from the final touch.
The hosts then struck against the run of play. After an accidental intervention by the referee, play resumed with Riyadh Sharahili threading a pass behind the Ittihad centre-backs for Abdullah Al-Qahtani, who finished confidently to open the scoring in the 37th minute.
Sharahili would be involved in a goal at the other end just eight minutes later. The underlapping Al-Shanqeeti runs would come back to bite Damac, as he was spotted by Diaby inside the box, only for Sharahili’s misfired clearance to fall back to him to finish for the equaliser.
Sergio Conceição’s side knew that an early goal in the second half was crucial against a side like Damac. However, Benzema was surprisingly brought off at half-time in favour of Saleh Al-Shehri. Social media footage later suggested the Frenchman had been substituted due to injury.
Al-Shehri provided a different attacking profile, as Al-Ittihad now relied on crosses from Ahmad Al-Julaydan, but Damac defenders Abdulrahman Al-Khaibary and Hassan Rubayyi of Damac’s dealt well with the threat.
Their plan to draw Al-Ittihad forward and strike on the counter nearly paid off late on. In the sixth minute of stoppage time, they found themselves in a three-on-two situation that quickly turned into a one-on-one, only for Abdulrahman Al-Obaid’s effort to crash against the post.
Al-Ittihad’s night ended on a sour note when Fabinho was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Yahya Naji. Despite avoiding defeat, this draw was Al-Ittihad’s seventh game away at Damac without a win.
Elsewhere, Al-Fateh continued their stellar run of form to grab their fifth win on the trot with a 3-1 victory over Al-Riyadh. After spending the first part of the season lingering outside the relegation zone, they now sit 12 points clear in 10th place. In Najran, Al-Kholood fell to a 1-0 defeat against Al-Okhdood, marking their eighth loss in nine matches.
Matchday 15 concludes on Wednesday, with Al-Qadsiah vs. Al-Fayha at 5:45pm, followed by Al-Ahli vs. Al-Taawoun in the battle for second place at 8.30pm alongside Al-Shabab vs. NEOM.
