Follow us on Google Discover The Wuhan Open continued the build-up to the WTA Finals, of which the race for the remaining spots is now heating up.
The WTA Finals return to Riyadh next month, with six players having already qualified following the conclusion of the Wuhan Open.
Coco Gauff likes the current WTA Finals venue, with the American entering the tournament as the defending champion.
She defeated Qinwen Zheng in last year’s final, and is among those to qualify for the next edition of the season-ending event.
Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys have also qualified, with Mirra Andreeva and Jasmine Paolini currently occupying the final two spots.
Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesCoCo Vandeweghe names the WTA player she thinks has gone ‘under the radar’ this season
CoCo Vandeweghe thinks Aryna Sabalenka holds an advantage heading into the WTA Finals after her US Open success, with the former now giving her take on one player hoping to join the Belarusian in Riyadh.
Speaking of Paolini’s chances on Tennis Channel, Vandeweghe said: “She’s still in the hunt, so not dead yet, but she definitely did some good strides out there, playing in Wuhan and going against Iga Swiatek, who has qualified herself.
“This is the momentum you’re talking about, where you need to play well against the best in the world, because at the year-end championships, you are playing the top eight best women that have played on the year, and you have to be ready from the get-go.
“And this moment for Jasmine Paolini and Wuhan just shows how match-tough she is. Because she hasn’t been talked about in the same light as she was last year, making two Grand Slam finals.
“She’s been flying a little bit under the radar, but this dominating win here in straight sets against Iga Swiatek, that’s a difference maker, and that’s the emotion that you’re going to notice from a lot of these players on that cusp.”
Paolini beat Swiatek in the quarterfinals of the Wuhan Open, before losing her semifinal with eventual champion Gauff.
Commenting further on the Italian, Vandeweghe said: “What I love about Jasmine Paolini is she’s consistent.
“And that’s what you need towards the end of the year, is playing consistent tennis. Not flashy tennis, where you can crash out early in a couple of rounds.
“So Jasmine Paolini is always going to be a dangerous player coming in the round robin, because you have multiple chances to try and qualify and win in your group.”
CoCo Vandeweghe notices big difference between Jasmine Paolini and Mirra Andreeva
Vandeweghe knows what it takes to compete at the highest level on the WTA Tour, having once reached number nine in the world rankings.
She also won two singles titles and four doubles titles, and lifted the 2018 US Open doubles trophy alongside Ashleigh Barty.
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Sharing her experience of the WTA Finals, she recalled: “I was very fortunate when I was playing in the year-end championships.
“I was solidified way early, especially in doubles, I got there very quickly. But in singles, I had to really work for the last little spot, and I was also fighting for that top 10 spot.
“Luckily, I had Billie Jean King Cup afterwards, we were playing in the final, so I had other things to distract me.
“Because sometimes you can get too focused on that race to those last little spots that you actually don’t play the match that’s in front of you.
“You start looking ahead, I have to make quarters, I have to make round of 16, and you crash out first round.
“That’s what these women don’t want to see that are just kind of hanging around that late end of the cusp.”
And giving her take on the battle between the likes of Paolini and Andreeva to claim a WTA Finals spot, she said: “To me, Mirra has more on the line, more to fight for, because she’s been crashing out early come after our last big Grand Slam at the US Open.
“And you can just see the difference in emotion of both of these players. Paolini, how positive she was, where we’ve seen Mira Andreeva, just kind of being flustered, being very emotional in a negative sense.
“I don’t mind the emotion. I mean, pot calling kettle black, but let’s get things straight, we’ve got to keep positive, we’ve got to stay on track, because it’s not just this year-end championships, we’re also pushing going and getting momentum for next year.”
Andreeva can, of course, be forgiven in that regard given that she is still only 18 years old, compared to 29-year-old Paolini.
Aged 17, only world number 35 Iva Jovic is younger than Andreeva within the top 100, with the Russian having enjoyed a stunning career so far despite her youth and inexperience.