Eight days of upset-laden tennis has concluded, with the 2024 WTA Finals coming to an end this Saturday in Riyadh. The event proved to be a real success in the sense that everything went smoothly – something that can’t be said of the WTA Finals last year. In terms of the tennis, there were some stunning results, so read on for our full rundown of how the action unfolded.
Results Summary: Who Won the WTA Finals 2024?
Before we look at some of the unforgettable moments from this year’s tournament, here’s a rundown of the 2024 WTA Finals results:
Singles
Coco Gauff defeated Qinwen Zheng (3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2))
The WTA Finals was fascinating this year, in that each group held significant surprises. In the first group, Aryna Sabalenka finished at the top having won two matches while Qinwen Zheng finished second after also winning two matches.
The reason why Sabalenka topped the group was because she beat Zheng in a direct match. When it comes to the other group, Barbora Krejcikova actually topped the group thanks to a win over Coco Gauff in the final match. Gauff finished second due to that despite being 2-0 in matches up until that point, including a win over Iga Swiatek that ultimately knocked her out.
The knockout stage featured two matches of course, with two semi-finals paired up depending on how the players finished. Sabalenka as the top finisher from the previous group played second-placed Gauff. Krejcikova took on Zheng with the winners being Gauff and Zheng.
Zheng beating Krejcikova wasn’t a huge surprise. Most people called that one correctly but few expected that Gauff would beat Sabalenka, but she continued playing as superbly as she had played so far to actually win that match.
In the final, Gauff would continue playing superb tennis to turn around a really tight match against Zheng. Despite Gauff being somewhat better early on, the Chinese player was able to win the first set.
Zheng was up a break in the second set but then we saw Gauff turn that set around to make it 6-4. In the final one, Zheng also had a break lead but Gauff battled back, winning in a tiebreak in the end.
She ultimately was the deserving winner because the American played the most consistent and stable tennis from start to finish. It might be surprising considering that’s not really what she’s known for, especially against the top players, but she did it and got rewarded with the trophy.
Doubles
Dabrowski/Routliffe defeated Siniakova/Townsend (7-5, 6-3)
Over in the WTA Finals doubles, we saw more surprising results, with a reversal of the seeds in the standings of one group. The top seeds from that group finished last, the second seed was second to last, while the lowest seeds won the group.
In the other group, the top seeds did end up winning the group. That was the Canadian-Kiwi combination of Routliffe and Dabrowski who ended up winning the event by beating the lowest seeds of all players, Siniakova and Townsend, in the final.
So, in many ways, it ended up being a somewhat surprising final but the second seeds did prove to be better in the end, walking away with the trophy.
Most Memorable Moments of the WTA Finals in 2024
With the WTA Finals over, the 2024 season of the WTA Tour is now complete. Looking back on the event, these are the moments that we think will go down in tennis history from the WTA Finals:
- Sabalenka secures year-end No. 1
For the first time in her life, Aryna Sabalenka will finish the year as world No 1. She was inches away from it last year but Swiatek winning the WTA Finals in 2023 helped her reclaim the top spot before the end of the season.
This time around, Sabalenka was able to get it. Swiatek simply was not playing as well at the event as she had hoped, which ensured that Sabalenka’s brutal run in the past few months was enough to get it done.
- Gauff’s tremendous run
Gauff ended up winning the WTA Finals which in itself is already an iconic achievement. It’s the first time she won the event but almost certainly won’t be the last time she wins. What is more notable about this run is her beating both Swiatek and Sabalenka en route to the trophy.
It’s the first time she’s done this – beat the two top players in the world in the same tournament – especially since the win over Swiatek was only her second win over the Pole in 13 attempts.
- Gabriela Dabrowski becomes first Canadian to win WTA Finals
Canadians are a growing consistency on the WTA Tour and with time they will achieve some great things. Dabrowski just paved the way by becoming the first Canadian player ever to win the WTA Finals trophy, singles or doubles. She won’t be the last, so mark down this achievement.
