Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova became the latest leading name to criticise the WTA after losing her opening match to Iga Swiatek at the WTA Finals.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka said after her first match on Sunday in Mexico that she felt “disrespected” over the condition of the hastily-laid temporary court in Cancun.
Following a 7-6 (3) 6-0 defeat by second seed Swiatek, Vondrousova wrote on Instagram: “My first WTA Finals is not at all what I imagined. We work hard all year to get to the finals and in the end it’s just a disappointment.
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“(The) stadium is not at all ready for the matches and to me it feels like the people from WTA are absolutely not interested in how we who are supposed to play on that court feel. We do not feel that anyone listens to us and is interested in our opinions. Very sad.”
Swiatek added to the criticism, saying in her on-court interview that the surface was “not comfortable” while she also appealed for more fans to attend the matches.
For the third year in a row, the host of the prestigious tournament – which features the top eight players of the season – was only decided less than two months prior to the event.
Vondrousova led Swiatek 5-2 in the opening set but the Pole, who could reclaim top spot in the rankings from Sabalenka this week, won four games in a row and dominated the second set.
Monday’s other match saw US Open champion Coco Gauff need less than an hour to beat Ons Jabeur 6-0 6-1 for her first WTA Finals victory.
On her debut last year the teenager lost all six matches she played in singles and doubles, while she and Jessica Pegula were again beaten in doubles on Sunday.
But Gauff was emphatic from the start against Wimbledon finalist Jabeur, winning the first seven games before an hour-long rain delay.
Jabeur finally got on the board after the restart before the American, who revealed she is no longer working with coach Pere Riba, completed the win in 57 minutes.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t my decision,” Gauff said of the split from the Spaniard. “But we had to end the partnership. If it was up to me, I would have loved to have him here.
“But things happen. Life happens. So no bad terms on our end. I still think that he was a great guy. And obviously he did amazing things for me personally and also for my game.”
Gauff is still working with renowned American coach Brad Gilbert, who guided her to the title in New York alongside Riba.
Zverev overcomes injury scare to maintain Italian Open charge
Alexander Zverev moved a step closer to his second Italian Open title with a hard-fought 6-4 6-3 quarter-final win over Taylor Fritz, overcoming an injury scare en route to the last four.
Zverev – who triumphed on the clay in Rome back in 2017 – produced a dominant serving performance against another heavy hitter in Fritz, but only after an awkward fall early on.
The German sought medical attention after falling on his stomach in the third service game of the match, the slip leaving him bleeding from both hands.
However, he soon shook off that knock and did not allow Fritz a single break point in a deeply impressive display, setting up a semi-final meeting with Chile's Alejandro Tabilo – the conqueror of Novak Djokovic – for Friday.
Data Debrief: Zverev gathering momentum
Zverev, the lone former champion remaining in the men's draw, is surely the favourite to win a tournament characterised by unfortunate withdrawals and shock defeats for the biggest names.
Seven of Zverev's 21 tour-level titles have come on clay, and he is yet to drop a single set in Rome this year. His three-year wait for an ATP 1000 title could soon be over.
Sabalenka overcomes injury concerns to reach Rome semi-finals
Aryna Sabalenka is through to her second Italian Open semi-final after a straight-sets victory over Jelena Ostapenko on Wednesday.
The Belarusian, who recovered from a lower back injury sustained in her previous match against Elina Svitolina, breezed through 6-2, 6-4 after just 72 minutes on the court.
Sabalenka broke her serve in the third and fifth games, with Ostapenko opening the door with two double faults, while a single break in the seventh game settled the second set.
The second seed almost let it slip with her only double fault but came back with two big serves to close out the win.
Sabalenka will face Danielle Collins or Victoria Azarenka in the semi-final on Friday.
Data Debrief: Top 10
Sabalenka (10) has become only the second player to reach 10 or more WTA-1000 semi-finals since the start of the 2020 season, along with Iga Swiatek (16).
With Sabalenka joining Swiatek and Coco Gauff, it is the first time the WTA’s top three players have reached the semi-final at the same WTA event since Roland Garros in 2013 – excluding the WTA Tour Finals.
Sabalenka has spent the most time out on the court in WTA clay events in 2024, with this match bringing her up to 25 hours and 34 minutes.
Gauff sets up Swiatek semi-final meeting after downing Zheng in Rome
Coco Gauff will have the chance to down world number one Iga Swiatek after progressing to the Italian Open semi-finals with Tuesday's victory over Qinwen Zheng.
The 20-year-old breezed into the last-four draw in Rome after her straight-sets victory over Zheng, winning 7-6 (7-4) 6-1.
Gauff faced just one break point throughout the match, failing to hold her serve at 5-3 up as seven-seed Zhen battled back in the first set.
Yet Gauff eased through the tie-break and never looked back from there on, teeing up a meeting with Swiatek, who overcame Madison Keys in straight sets in her quarter-final clash.
Data Debrief: Young Gauff powers on
No player has won more matches than Gauff (61) in WTA-1000 events before turning 21, since the introduction of the format in 2009, as the American moved past Caroline Wozniacki (60) with victory here.
Wozniacki (eight) is also the only player to manage more WTA-1000 semi-final appearances before her 21th birthday, with Gauff's last-four qualification here taking her onto six – one ahead of Swiatek.
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