RIYADH: Coco Gauff earned her second victory over Iga Swiatek in 13 career matchups, winning 6-3, 6-4 at the WTA Finals on Tuesday to reach the semifinals of the season-ending tournament.
The result means that Swiatek can’t move up from No. 2 in the rankings this week, so Aryna Sabalenka will finish the year at No. 1 for the first time.
It was Gauff’s first victory over Swiatek since the 2023 Cincinnati Open, snapping a four-match losing skid head-to-head. Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, also put an end to five-time Grand Slam champ Swiatek’s six-match unbeaten run at the WTA Finals, an event the Polish star won a year ago.
The win moved Gauff to 2-0 in the Orange Group, while Swiatek fell to 1-1. Swiatek had rallied to beat Barbora Krejcikova in three sets on Sunday in her first match in two months.
Krejcikova, the Wimbledon champion, kept her chances of advancing alive with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Jessica Pegula. That eliminated Pegula, who lost in straight sets to Gauff in their opening match in Saudi Arabia.
Krejcikova was the last player to qualify for the event for the top eight players on the women’s tennis tour, earning her berth thanks to her Grand Slam title at the All England Club in July. At No. 13, she became the lowest-ranked player to win a WTA Finals match since Magda Maleeva 22 years ago.
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“James is a player whose quality, vision, and experience at the highest levels of the game are unquestioned. We’re excited to add his creativity and football intelligence to our group,” the club’s sporting director Khaled El-Ahmad said in a statement.
“At the same time, this move is about collective strength — not about putting everything on one individual.”
Rodriguez, who won the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup in a breakthrough tournament that earned him a move to Real Madrid, has become something of a footballing nomad in recent years.
Since the 2019-20 campaign, the playmaker has plied his trade across continents for Everton, Al-Rayyan, Olympiacos, Sao Paulo, Rayo Vallecano and Leon before landing in Minnesota.
“I’m very happy for this new chapter in my life. I hope to be at my best so I can bring joy to this city and to all of the people who are putting their faith in me,” Rodriguez said.
“I’m looking forward to meeting all of the passionate Minnesota fans because I’m also a passionate player who wants to give everything on the field and always wants to win.”
Rodriguez will get his first chance to impress when the new MLS season kicks off on February 21, with Minnesota taking on Austin.
Gauff defeats Swiatek to reach the semifinals at the WTA Finals. Sabalenka is assured of No. 1
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Gauff defeats Swiatek to reach the semifinals at the WTA Finals. Sabalenka is assured of No. 1
- The result means that Swiatek can’t move up from No. 2 in the rankings this week, so Aryna Sabalenka will finish the year at No. 1 for the first time
- It was Gauff’s first victory over Swiatek since the 2023 Cincinnati Open, snapping a four-match losing skid head-to-head
Colombia’s Rodriguez signs for Minnesota on short-term deal
- Rodriguez will occupy an international squad spot pending a medical and receipt of his visa.
- “We’re excited to add his creativity and football intelligence to our group,” El-Ahmad said
MINNESOTA: Colombia captain James Rodriguez signed for Minnesota United on Friday, marking his seventh club since leaving Real Madrid in 2020 as the former World Cup Golden Boot winner continues his globe-trotting career.
The Major League Soccer club announced that the 34-year-old midfielder has signed a guaranteed contract through June 2026, with a club option to extend until December 2026.
Rodriguez will occupy an international squad spot pending a medical and receipt of his visa.
“James is a player whose quality, vision, and experience at the highest levels of the game are unquestioned. We’re excited to add his creativity and football intelligence to our group,” the club’s sporting director Khaled El-Ahmad said in a statement.
“At the same time, this move is about collective strength — not about putting everything on one individual.”
Rodriguez, who won the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup in a breakthrough tournament that earned him a move to Real Madrid, has become something of a footballing nomad in recent years.
Since the 2019-20 campaign, the playmaker has plied his trade across continents for Everton, Al-Rayyan, Olympiacos, Sao Paulo, Rayo Vallecano and Leon before landing in Minnesota.
“I’m very happy for this new chapter in my life. I hope to be at my best so I can bring joy to this city and to all of the people who are putting their faith in me,” Rodriguez said.
“I’m looking forward to meeting all of the passionate Minnesota fans because I’m also a passionate player who wants to give everything on the field and always wants to win.”
Rodriguez will get his first chance to impress when the new MLS season kicks off on February 21, with Minnesota taking on Austin.
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