The remarkable pattern continues as the sixth seed clinches the year-end championships title five times in eight years.

Not long ago, Kazakhstan’s Leylah Fernandez secured five consecutive wins at the year-end championships, naturally earning her maiden title at this prestigious event. The moment she blanked four-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka from Belarus in the final’s decisive tiebreak is still widely celebrated by fans. However, many may have overlooked that Fernandez was seeded sixth at the tournament, and remarkably, in the previous eight editions of the year-end championships, the sixth seed had won five times. So, who were these sixth-seeded champions over the past eight years? Today, this article will take you through their stories.

In 2017, Danish player Wozniacki reached seven tour finals but only managed to win one title at the Tokyo Pan Pacific Open in mid-September. Nevertheless, her solid results earned her a spot at that year’s year-end championships. Entering the tournament as the sixth seed, Wozniacki defeated Romania’s Halep and Ukraine’s Svitolina in the round-robin stage to reach the semifinals.

In the semifinals, Wozniacki defeated Czech player Ka.Pliskova in straight sets to advance to the final; there, she convincingly beat American Serena Williams to claim her first career year-end championships title. Notably, this was Wozniacki’s first-ever victory over Serena Williams in her career.

Ukrainian player Svitolina began the 2018 season by winning the Brisbane International. She then made a strong run at the Australian Open, reaching her first-ever quarterfinal at this Grand Slam. Subsequently, Svitolina won two more tour titles and entered the 2018 year-end championships as the sixth seed.

At the championships, she defeated Czech players Kvitova and Ka.Pliskova, as well as defending champion Wozniacki from Denmark, finishing the round-robin stage undefeated to reach the semifinals; there, Svitolina battled through three sets to overcome Dutch player Bertens and make her first-ever final at the year-end championships. Despite dropping the first set, she rallied to win the next two sets against American Stephens in the final, securing her first year-end championships title.

Two-time Grand Slam champion and Spanish player Muguruza won two tour titles in the 2021 season and also competed as the sixth seed at that year’s year-end championships. In the round-robin, she defeated Estonia’s Kontaveit and Czech player Krejcikova to reach the semifinals. Muguruza then delivered a commanding win over fellow Spaniard Badosa to advance to the final; there, she defeated Kontaveit in straight sets again, becoming the first Spanish player to lift the year-end championships trophy.

Later, French player Garcia, who had reached Grand Slam semifinals, appeared as the sixth seed at the 2022 year-end championships. Coincidentally, she defeated Belarusian Sabalenka in the final. Three years later, Kazakhstan’s Leylah Fernandez again, as the sixth seed, overcame Sabalenka in the final. Remarkably, both matches were decided by tiebreaks.

However, the competitors at the year-end championships are all exceptionally strong players. The sixth seed winning five titles in eight years might be just a coincidence. What do you think, netizens? Who do you believe will be the next player to continue the sixth seed’s legacy at the year-end championships? That’s the tennis story for today; see you tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)