Caroline Garcia beats Aryna Sabalenka to claim WTA Finals 2022 title and cap off remarkable comeback season

Updated 08/11/2022 at 08:41 GMT

Caroline Garcia was ranked outside the top 70 in June, but a remarkable run helped her reach the season-ending WTA Finals tournament in Fort Worth, Texas. Now she is the WTA Finals champion, beating No. 7 seed Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(4) 6-4 in the final on Monday night, and revelling in what the French 29-year-old calls the “biggest title” of her career so far.

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A clinical Caroline Garcia converted the only break point of the match to seal the WTA Finals crown with a straight-sets victory over Aryna Sabalenka in Fort Worth.

Garcia capped off a remarkable comeback season – having ranked outside the top 70 as recently as June – by clinching the biggest title of her career to date, with the French 29-year-old winning 7-6(4) 6-4.

“It’s definitely a lot of giant happiness,” Garcia said afterwards. “A crazy final, a lot of intensity on every point. I’m just really proud of the work we did through all the year.

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“It was a great match, I really went for it. I’m really happy to win my biggest title."

Garcia started the year ranked No. 74, and was then No. 75 in the world come June before she decided to adopt a more aggressive style.

Evidently, it paid off. She won the title in Bad Homburg before exiting the round of 16 at Wimbledon, and then won both the Poland Open and Western & Southern Open ahead of Flushing Meadows.

At the US Open, she had hoped her red-hot form would take her the distance, but she fell at the semi-final stage to Ons Jabeuer.

Nevertheless, that was Garcia’s best display at a Grand Slam, and come the WTA Finals - after surprisingly parting ways with her coach Bertrand Perret just ahead of the season-ending tournament - she beat both Coco Gauff and Daria Kasatkina in the group stages to reach the semi-finals – despite a straight-sets defeat to Iga Swiatek.

And while Sabalenka did Garcia a favour by beating Swiatek in the semis, Garcia reached the final with a comprehensive 6-3 6-2 victory over Maria Sakkari.

In the final, a tight first set went down to a tie-break, with Sabalenka – the worst double-faulter on the tour this year – gifting Garcia the set with two double faults, including one at set point.

Garcia then swiftly converted her first break point opportunity of the match in the opening game of the second set.

That proved to be the difference, with only the 10th and final game of the set heading to deuce as Garcia sealed the title with her second match point.

“Sometimes you are emotional or things don’t go your way,” Garcia added. I mean, sometimes there is a big fight, so you have to find your way through it. Some points, where you cannot do anything. You just try to put in the return and to run as fast as you can to the other side.

"And that was one of the biggest points I improved. Today one of the most important things was to stay calm and jump on every opportunity.”

Caroline Garcia of France celebrates with the Billie Jean King Trophy after defeating Aryna Sabalenka

Image credit: Getty Images

Reflecting on the defeat, Sabalenka bemoaned dropping her level in the first-set breaker, which she lost 7-4.

The Belarussian was at least able to joke about her double faults, although the No. 7 seed will be left wondering what might have been all season had she mastered her biggest flaw. She ends the year with 428 double faults – no other player on the WTA Tour recorded more than 300.

“I’m not going to say thank you to my team because it’s so many double faults, you guys are such a bad team. No, no, no, I’m joking,” Sabalenka said.

“It’s been a challenging year for us. Thank you so much for your support.

“I just dropped my level for a little bit. On the tie-break and the first game of the second set. That’s it.

“I did my best, [but] she played unbelievable tennis.”

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