Iga Swiatek easily beat Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-0 in the final on Monday to win the WTA Finals, played in Cancun, Mexico.
With her victory, Swiatek, who was second in the world, will return to the top of the WTA rankings when it is next updated next Monday. It was first in the world from April 2022 to last September. This is a first title at the end of season tournament for the Pole.
Swiatek is the youngest WTA Finals champion since Petra Kvitova at age 21 in 2011.
Pegula, fifth in singles and first in doubles, had won all her matches before Monday. She also played doubles with her compatriot Coco Gauff, whom she beat 6-2, 6-1 on Saturday in the group stage.
Pegula and Gauff did not qualify for the doubles semi-finals.
The final was initially scheduled to be played on Sunday, but was pushed back to Monday due to one of the semi-finals remaining to be completed. The semi-final between Aryna Sabalenka and Swiatek ended on Sunday evening, due to numerous rain delays, as was the case throughout the tournament.
Early in the match, Swiatek took advantage of her first break point to make it 3-1. She then confirmed the first break of the match by winning four of the next five points, to lead the set 4-1.
The break seemed to rattle Pegula, who made several unforced errors in the next two games, and Swiatek quickly won the first set 6-1.
The four-time major tournament winner continued her momentum at the start of the second set, winning the first game on Pegula’s serve. She did it again to the American, breaking at 0-40 to make it 3-0 in just a few minutes.
At 6-1, 3-0, Pegula had just 40% points won with her first ball. Swiatek had won 14 of her 16 rallies played on her first serve.
Swiatek scored the only ace of the match, while both athletes double faulted.
The Pole saved the only break point she faced in the match, and that was when she was serving for the title in the last game. Pegula only saved two out of seven balls.
Pegula committed 23 unforced errors in the duel, and never won more than two points in a row.
Swiatek is 68-11 in 2023, winning six tournaments. She finished the season with 11 straight wins. Swiatek won Roland Garros in June to clinch her fourth major tournament.
For her part, Pegula described her year as incredible, adding that Swiatek serves as her motivation.
“You push me to be a better player every year,” Pegula said. I wish I did better today, but sometimes that’s not how it works. »
Despite the score, Swiatek said it was difficult to face the American.
“Facing you was never easy,” Swiatek told Pegula after the match.
