Intriguing WTA Finals stat highlighted by Anett Kontaveit and Paula Badosa semi-final qualification

Anett Kontaveit and Paula Badosa qualified first for the WTA Finals last four this year, continuing an interesting trend at the event.

The Estonian and the Spaniard are two of six players making their debuts at the WTA Finals.

And both got off to the perfect start in Guadalajara, Mexico, each winning their opening two matches in straight sets.

Kontaveit has since lost to Garbine Muguruza, while Badosa is yet to play her final group match against Iga Swiatek.

That win for Muguruza propelled her into the last four, while Swiatek is playing Bados for pride as she now cannot qualify for the semi-finals.

Badosa and Kontaveit entered the event as the seventh and eighth seeds respectively, yet have both already qualified for the last four.

As a result, the bottom two seeds have qualified for the last four at each of the last three WTA Finals, including this year. Moreover, the same is true at four of the last five events, including 2021.

Badosa will take on compatriot Muguruza in the semi-finals, while Kontaveit awaits Aryna Sabalenka or Maria Sakkari.

This is the second time that Muguruza has reached the last four of the WTA Finals, last achieving the feat on her debut in 2015.

She stopped fellow Finals returner Karolina Pliskova from reaching the knockout stages with her win over Kontaveit to take the slot herself.

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