Strange events on the court: that year, Kontaveit ended up sharing the championship.

It is widely recognized that making it to the final in any tennis event is a tough challenge. Consequently, finalists always give their best effort to win the championship, which has become a routine expectation. Yet, there are exceptions. One year, two competitors who reached the tour final ended up sharing the trophy. Who were these players exactly? And what was the story behind this? Today, this article will take you through the details.

The two players were Estonia’s Kontaveit and America’s Li. In early January 2021, both appeared at the WTA 250 Gippsland Trophy held in Australia. In the first round, Kontaveit faced American McNally, who had reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal; Kontaveit gave her no chance, allowing only four games throughout the match. Li’s opponent was Australian Ai-Perez, who retired due to injury when Li was already at match point in the first set. Thus, both advanced to the second round.

In the second round, Kontaveit faced another American, Mattek. Both sets were tightly contested, with Kontaveit pushed to 7-point tiebreaks, but she showed resilience and won both sets 7–5 to reach the quarterfinals. Li’s opponent was Russian Kudermetova, who troubled Li greatly in the first set. However, Li, who had reached the last 32 of a Grand Slam last season and was likely used to high-pressure matches, held firm and edged the first set 7–5. She then dominated the second set 6–3, joining Kontaveit in the quarterfinals.

In the quarterfinals, Kontaveit was set to face the tournament’s third seed, Belarusian Azarenka, a two-time Grand Slam champion with strong credentials. However, Azarenka withdrew before the match, granting Kontaveit a walkover into the season’s first tour semifinal. Li’s opponent was Romanian Costică, whom Li defeated convincingly 6–3, 6–1, also advancing to the semifinals.

In the semifinals, Kontaveit faced the fifth seed, Greek player Sakkari. Despite losing the first set, Kontaveit staged a comeback by winning the next two sets to secure her place in the final. Li also battled through a three-set match, eventually defeating fellow American Brady to reach the final. Objectively, both players were just one step away from claiming their first tour title of the 2021 season.

However, due to scheduling conflicts with the Australian Open and to ensure both players could prepare in optimal condition for the imminent Grand Slam, the organizers decided to cancel the final. Following this announcement, the WTA 250 Gippsland Trophy organizers declared Kontaveit and Li as co-champions. Interestingly, later that year in late October, Li won her first career tour title, while on the very same day, Kontaveit captured her first WTA 500 title.

Moreover, both players achieved significant career milestones that year. Li broke into the world’s top 50 rankings for the first time, while Kontaveit became the first Estonian to qualify for the WTA Finals, finishing the year ranked 7th globally. That concludes today’s tennis story; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)