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World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka's final group-stage match at the 2023 WTA Finals against Elena Rybakina was suspended earlier on Thursday (November 2) due to bad weather at 6-2, 3-5. Poor scheduling by the local tournament organizers was one of the main reasons behind the encounter being abandoned and was subsequently criticized by a large majority of tennis fans.
Sabalenka was quick to get off the blocks of her seventh meeting with Rybakina, breaking serve twice en route to taking the opening set 6-2. The Kazakh went down a break at 1-1 in the second set, but broke back twice to take a 5-3 lead. Gusts of wind and rain, however, forced the umpire to suspend the match soon.
Tennis fans on social media were not happy with the delay in the match's outcome and took to social media to express their disappointment. One fan on X insisted that the top players at the 2023 WTA Finals were being treated like amateurs, writing:
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"They are treating professional high athletes like Sunday league absolute disgrace for everyone involved ref fans ball kids, everyone."
Another fan, meanwhile, criticized WTA and the tournament organizers in Cancun over their decision to hold the year-end championships during the 'Hurricane Season' — a period when cyclones are likely to hit cities near the Atlantic Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere.
"Whoever coordinated an outdoor WTA Finals in Cancun in prime hurricane season should be dismissed. It’s completely unfair the treatment the WTA players receive for such an important tournament in comparison to ATP logistics. Dreadful conditions! @WTA," they wrote on X.
Here are a few more reactions from social media:
Aryna Sabalenka can seal year-end World No. 1 finish if Iga Swiatek fails to reach the title match at WTA Finals 2023
Aryna Sabalenka has enjoyed a career-best season in 2023, registering a 54-13 win-loss record on the WTA tour so far. The 25-year-old has won three titles, including her maiden Major title at the Australian Open in January, while also finishing as the runner-up at the US Open.
Moreover, the 5'11" Belarusian has recorded very consistent results on the women's circuit this year, which helped her replace Iga Swiatek as the new World No. 1 position in late September. Currently, she holds a tally of 8,425 WTA ranking points, which is 630 more than the points accumulated by the second-ranked Swiatek.
At this week's WTA Finals, Sabalenka and Swiatek are defending 955 and 750 points, respectively. This means that the Pole will have to reach the final in Cancun for a chance at regaining the top-ranked spot. The Belarusian, who split her first two group-stage matches, can take the matter out of her rival's hands if she reaches the last four.
Iga Swiatek has been in better form than Aryna Sabalenka this week in Cancun, taking her first two matches with relative ease. The top-ranked Belarusian, however, has an advantage in the race to the year-end No. 1 position, provided she beats Elena Rybakina when their match resumes.
