The Race to WTA Finals Gets Interesting After Ashleigh Barty’s Withdrawal

Published 10/23/2021, 1:06 AM EDT

The World No.1, Ashleigh Barty has announced some terrible news just ahead of WTA Finals. The Australian has decided to withdraw from the WTA Finals and the remainder of the year. Following her statements, all eyes are now on Paula Badosa, Ons Jabeur, and Anett Kontaveit as they fight for the last two spots in the WTA Finals.

Aryna Sabalenka, Barbora Krejcikova, and Karolina Pliskova have successfully entered the WTA finals. Moreover, recently, Gabrine Muguruza, Maria Sakkari, and Iga Swiatek also have qualified for the mega competition at WTA Finals.

So, now Badosa, Jabeur, and Kontaveit will certainly have to put in some extra effort to register their names.

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The impact of Ashleigh Barty withdrawing from WTA Finals

The Australian Ashleigh Barty has taken a break after an early exit at US Open 2021. Since then she hasn’t competed on the WTA Tour. Lately, she released some unfortunate news regarding her future participation.

She stated, “ With the ongoing challenges of traveling back to Queensland and quarantine requirements, I am not willing to compromise my preparation for January.

Moreover, she added, “I wish the WTA team and the players all the best for a successful WTA Finals and the rest of the year.”

Barty has announced that she’ll miss the WTA Finals, Billie Jean King Cup, and the remainder of the year. With her withdrawal, the gates have been opened for Badosa, Jabeur, and Kontaveit.

Muguruza and Swiatek qualified for the WTA Finals.
Badosa, Jabeur and Kontaveit will fight for the remaining 3 spots https://t.co/38Q4VXQjiP
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) October 22, 2021

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Which players have qualified for the WTA Finals

A total of eight players qualify for the WTA Finals in Mexico. Aryna Sabalenka, Barbora Krejcikova, and Karolina Pliskova already booked their spot well in advance. Furthermore, Gabrine Muguruza and Iga Swiatek have also qualified for the main event. Just recently, Maria Sakkari of Greece made history for her country. She became the first Greek woman to compete at the WTA Finals.

Now the final two spots are remaining. All the tough contenders, namely Badosa, Jabeur, and Kontaveit will be in the interesting race to mark their name at the WTA Finals. The tournament is scheduled from November 10 to November 17 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

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Atri Bhatt is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports. He is pursuing his Master's degree in Sports Management from Deakin University, Australia. In addition to critically analysing the game, he also plays tennis professionally.

The Race to WTA Finals Gets Interesting After Ashleigh Barty’s Withdrawal

The impact of Ashleigh Barty withdrawing from WTA Finals

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Which players have qualified for the WTA Finals