Tennis: The latest from the WTA
November 17, 2021
The GIST: The final singles and doubles matches of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) season will be played later today, but the biggest news is from off the court.
MATTHEW STOCKMAN/GETTY IMAGES
On court: The season-ending WTA Finals — featuring the season’s top eight singles players and top eight doubles pairings — will come to a close today in Guadalajara, Mexico. Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza defeated her compatriot Paula Badosa in straight sets during yesterday’s semis to advance to today’s finals.
- Muguruza will face Estonia’s Anett Kontaveitwho defeated Greece’s Maria Sakkari yesterday.
- And for the doubles, Czech’s Barbora Krejcíková and Kateřina Siniaková will take on Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens from Taiwan and Belgium, respectively.
Off court: As discussed in yesterday’s episode of The GIST of It, former world No. 1 doubles player Peng Shuai (pronounced PUNG sh-WHY) has not been seen or heard from since accusing a former top-Chinese government official of sexual assault.
- After Shuai posted the allegations on social media, the government censored her name and even the word tennis from the Weibo platform.
- The WTA’s chief executive officer, Steve Simon, called for a full investigation into Shuai’s allegations...notably jeopardizing his bottom line as a result. Are you listening, sports world?
- The story has gained traction in the last few days, as top players such as Naomi Osaka bring more attention to this incredibly disturbing news. Let’s continue to do the same.
