Kies withdrew due to illness, Xiaomi La gave up a huge fortune, and Pressure Baby's appearance guarantees a million-dollar prize

As expected, Kies, who lost twice in the group stage, announced before today's match that she withdrew due to a viral illness. This sudden situation should have given the first alternate Andreeva a chance to advance, but the Russian rising star decided to forgo her substitute spot due to poor health.

Therefore, the opportunity went to the second alternate Aleksandrova, who will take the court tonight to face Leybakina, also from Kazakhstan. This unexpected matchup has become one of the most anticipated matches in the year-end finals group stage.

Actually, the American star Kies’s decision to withdraw was not entirely surprising. After the second round of the group stage, Kies did not shake hands with her opponent Anisimova due to a viral infection. At that time, Anisimova said, “She told me she might have the flu and that I should stay away from her!” The two smiled at each other without making a fuss. However, many reports had already suggested that the world No. 7 player might not be able to continue in the tournament.

Moreover, Kies’s withdrawal disappointed many fans, but since she had lost both of her group matches, she was already certain to miss out on advancing.

Kies’s withdrawal fulfilled the year-end dream of the Russian rising star. Andreeva had won two WTA 1000 titles this year but missed the year-end finals by just six points, which saddened many fans. This sudden chance to play brought a lot of excitement!

However, Andreeva later announced she would give up this important opportunity due to health issues.

This news surprised many fans. Just a few days ago, Andreeva was interviewed in Riyadh and even shared videos of her training warm-ups, so her sudden physical discomfort was unexpected. Additionally, the year-end finals are highly valued by players because of the large prize money; by withdrawing, Andreeva essentially forfeited at least over one million RMB.

After several twists, Leybakina’s opponent eventually becamethe second alternate Aleksandrova, which turned into an unexpected opportunity for her, as her chances of playing under normal circumstances were very slim.

As the second alternate, Aleksandrova will earn at least $150,000 (over 1.1 million RMB) as a substitute bonus even if she loses to Leybakina. If she wins, she will receive an additional $355,000 prize money, making it a substantial income. Many fans feel that Andreeva truly missed out on a huge fortune.

It is worth mentioning that the match between Aleksandrova and Leybakina is a rematch of this year’s Ningbo final, making it one of the key matches in this year’s finals.

Head-to-head records show Aleksandrova leads 3-2. Their most recent encounter was in the Ningbo final this year, where Leybakina, after losing the first set, won nine consecutive games to come back and defeat Aleksandrova 2-1 (3-6, 6-0, 6-2).

That victory was significant for Leybakina, marking her second title of the season, tenth career title, and fifth WTA 500 championship.

Winning in Ningbo brought Leybakina within reach of the year-end finals spot. She stated at the time that reaching the semifinals in Tokyo would secure her the last place in the WTA Finals.

Whether Aleksandrova can avenge her Ningbo loss and whether Leybakina can maintain her strong form will be revealed on the Riyadh court.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Lu Xiaotian)