Swiatek Determined To Close 2022 With WTA Finals

Iga Swiatek (Instagram @iga.swiatek)

JAKARTA - Defending US and French Open champion Iga Swiatek is eyeing her ninth WTA title this year and her 12th career title at the season-ending WTA Finals which kick off Monday.

The $5 million indoor hardcourt tournament will see eight of the world's top-ranked women's singles and doubles teams starting with group-stage matches and progressing to the semifinals on Sunday.

Going undefeated to claim the $1.68 million singles title crown after making her debut in last year's WTA Finals, current leader Swiatek knows that there are unique challenges in the tournament compared to regular WTA tournaments.

"It will be a challenge to play against top players day in and day out, not having time to go through these first two easier rounds," said Swiatek, quoting Antara, Monday.

"So I wanted to know if I could play my best tennis from A to Z."

Swiatek, the only reigning Grand Slam champion on court, has won eight titles this year, two of them at Grand Slams, plus tournaments in Qatar, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart, Rome, and in San Diego that took place two weeks ago.

Her three highest-ranked WTA rivals, second-ranked Tunisian Ons Jabeur, third and fourth-placed Americans Jessica Pegula, and 18-year-old Coco Gauff, all made their WTA Finals debuts.

"It's a completely different experience, so having previous qualifications will help a lot," said Swiatek.

"I want to know how physically I can play in this tournament after such a long season."

"This will be a test for me. Last year, mentally and physically I felt I didn't have much energy. This year we did a few different things to get some energy at the end, so I'm curious to see if it really works".

This WTA Finals tournament was also the second single appearance for fifth-placed Maria Sakkari of Greece, sixth-ranked Caroline Garcia of France, seventh-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, while eighth-ranked Daria Kasatkina made her debut.

Gauff is the youngest player in singles, while Garcia, who is 29, is the oldest.

Pegula and Gauff do double duty as doubles pair and singles crown challenger.

Sabalenka, from Belarus, and Kasatkina, from Russia, were not allowed to compete for their Motherland due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Czech defending doubles champion Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova, who won three Grand Slam titles this year, are back as the top seeds, but 2021 singles champion Garbine Muguruza of Spain has not qualified in this year's points race.