Daily Dose of Social Media: Swiatek’s surprise as win over Kasatkina falls short, Pegula recalls viral beer moment

Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and Entertainment from ATP and WTA players. Iga Swiatek had a particular reaction after her 6-1, 6-0 win over Daria Kasatkina, upon learning that her victory didn’t quite secure her spot in the WTA Finals semifinals. Later, the Polish player was eliminated from the tournament after Barbora Krejcikova's win over Coco Gauff.

Meanwhile, the ATP Finals stars are ready to take the court. A video circulated on social media showing Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz training, while all eight stars gathered for official photos and walked down the ‘blue carpet’.

Iga Swiatek had a surprising reaction upon learning that her victory over Daria Kasatkina wouldn’t influence her chances of advancing to the semifinals of the WTA Finals. The 5-time Grand Slam champion took advantage of Jessica Pegula's withdrawal and delivered a brilliant performance, defeating alternate Kasatkina 6-1, 6-0.

However, the impressive result didn’t matter much, as Swiatek’s advancement was out of her hands. After losing to Coco Gauff in straight sets, her lower set-win percentage compared to Barbora Krejcikova and Gauff meant the Polish player needed the 20-year-old American to win in order to take the second position in the group.

In the post-match press conference, Swiatek seemed quite confident that her result would allow her to advance to the semifinals, but journalists informed her she still had to wait for the outcome of the Krejcikova–Gauff match.

“Did you understand going into that match that it would have no bearing on your advancement to the semifinals?” a journalist asked. “You mean it didn’t matter? Why?” Swiatek replied, surprised.

“Complicated tiebreakers. Nobody told you?” the journalist responded, though Swiatek still seemed confused. “Basically, winning or losing, your result doesn’t matter; the other match does (Krejcikova/Gauff),” added another journalist. Swiatek, visibly surprised, was ultimately eliminated after Krejcikova defeated Gauff in straight sets.

Jessica Pegula took part in a Q&A session with the WTA. The American recently withdrew from the WTA Finals after not qualifying, citing an injury to skip her match against Iga Swiatek, where alternate Daria Kasatkina took her place.

Before her departure from Riyadh, Pegula reflected on her early days on the Tour, her rise to the top-100, the victories she’s achieved, and the memorable moment when she held a press conference with a beer in hand. When asked about her first WTA main draw, she said: “I think it was at Indian Wells. I qualified there, and I remember my coach at the time saying he would get a tattoo if we qualified—and I actually did!” the world No. 6 shared. “I was like, ‘You gotta get a tattoo,’ and he did. I think he got his parents’ initials,” she added.

The eight ATP Finals stars gathered for official photos with the trophy and took their first selfie on the court. The tournament, set to take place in Turin, has Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as the top contenders, with the notable absence of Novak Djokovic from the draw after 16 appearances in the last 17 editions. This will be the first time in 21 years that none of the Big-3 members are present in the tournament.

The top stars of the ATP Tour’s season-ending event arrived at the gala in Turin, walking the ‘blue carpet’ for the official photo session and draw ceremony. The Finals will also feature Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev, Alex De Minaur, and Casper Ruud, with the action beginning Monday in the Ilie Nastase Group.

Zheng Qinwen created one of the highlights of Thursday’s play as she greeted fans in Riyadh. The Chinese player secured her place in the WTA Finals semifinals after defeating Jasmine Paolini (6-1, 6-1), finishing second in the Purple Group behind Aryna Sabalenka.

In her debut at the tournament, Zheng advanced to the next round, where she will face Barbora Krejcikova, who defeated Coco Gauff to top the Orange Group. As Zheng left the Central Court, a fan who had traveled all the way from Tokyo to support her surprised her by singing a song from the stands as he waited to get her autograph.

Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev trained together just days before the start of the ATP Finals. The tournament, which gathers the world’s top eight players, will begin this Sunday, with all participants already settled in Turin and preparing for their opening matches.

The four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz will lead the John Newcombe Group, where he’ll be joined by Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, and Zverev himself. As the second seed in the Round Robin, Alcaraz managed to avoid facing Jannik Sinner in the initial phase. In a video shared on social media, the camaraderie between Alcaraz and his colleague Zverev was evident as they practiced together on the court, followed by a friendly exchange between the two.

The WTA Finals stars shared their picks for a hypothetical 'music year-end Finals,' with players like Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Zheng Qinwen revealing their favorite artists.

“I’m gonna say Sabrina Carpenter—it’s been the year of Sabrina Carpenter, so she’s definitely got to be up there,” said Gauff. “Well, Taylor Swift, obviously,” Swiatek commented, a choice echoed by Zheng Qinwen and doubles players Elise Mertens, Su-Wei Hsieh, and Liudmila Kichenok. Other artists mentioned included Shakira, Pink, Imagine Dragons, and Eminem.

This Friday, the tournament semifinals will kick off with the matchups already set. In singles, Zheng Qinwen will face Barbora Krejcikova, while the second match will see Aryna Sabalenka take on Coco Gauff. In doubles, the duo Dabrowski/Routliffe will face Melichar/Perez, while Kudermetova/Chang will challenge the 2024 Wimbledon champions Townsend/Siniakova.