Lepchenko prevented Badosa from securing a spot in the finals early, netizens say: Andreyeva is the happiest.

Following the spotlight match between Lepchenko and Badosa, the consensus was that the Russian Andreyeva was the most delighted.

Prior to this contest, with both Lepchenko and Badosa advancing to the Ningbo 500 semifinals, many believed Andreyeva’s hopes of making the year-end finals were quite faint, probably securing only a backup spot.

Badosa had overtaken Sorribes in championship points, and Lepchenko’s current momentum placed her just ahead of Andreyeva, which was widely seen as only a matter of time, making Andreyeva’s journey to Riyadh seem full of uncertainties.

Therefore, after Lepchenko and Badosa smoothly met in the Ningbo semifinals, supporters of Andreyeva began hoping, “May Nana defeat the Italian powerhouse to give Sorribes a breather.”

If Lepchenko lost to Badosa, the Italian player would secure a spot in the year-end finals simply by reaching the final; if Badosa lost, given the tiny points gap between her 4325 and Andreyeva’s 4319, the Russian player would still have a chance to qualify by performing well in a tour event next week.

Although Lepchenko trails Andreyeva by over a hundred points, considering her previous Wimbledon champion status and strong motivation to secure a year-end finals ticket, overtaking Sorribes at the last moment is not a difficult task.

Before the match between the former Wimbledon champion and the Italian player, fans and viewers in the live chat were evenly split in their predictions on who would advance, greatly boosting interest in watching the game.

From the start of the first set, the match was intense. Badosa was eager to defeat Lepchenko to lock in her year-end finals spot early, while the former Wimbledon champion was equally determined to block the Italian’s qualification, resulting in a fierce battle.

Ultimately, Lepchenko’s steadier performance and bolder play on crucial points earned her the first set 6-3, pushing Badosa into a do-or-die situation for the remainder of the match.

In the second set, Lepchenko ramped up her aggression beyond the “7 aces and 21 winners” from the first set, openly showing her ambition to finish the match in two sets.

After breaking Badosa’s serve first, fans described Lepchenko’s momentum as “unstoppable,” and when the Italian was finally overwhelmed by the former Wimbledon champion’s powerful style and Lepchenko closed the set 6-2, Andreyeva’s supporters were even happier than Lepchenko’s fans, flooding the chat with messages like “Thank you, Nana.”

By sweeping Badosa in two sets to reach the final, Lepchenko not only escalated the competition among the three players for the two year-end finals spots to its peak but also brought herself closer to securing her place in the tournament.

Many say that if Lepchenko wins the final, the three players competing for the two year-end finals tickets will have to give their all in every match next week to have a chance to come out on top, as the battle has become fiercely competitive; any slack or mistake could relegate them to alternate status, with only full effort guaranteeing a ride on the last train to Riyadh, joining the already qualified Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Anisimova, Pegula, and Keys.

Of course, although Lepchenko’s win prevented Badosa from clinching a year-end finals spot early, which benefits Andreyeva, the Russian player remains in the most passive position among the three since she did not register for next week’s Tokyo 500 event.

Therefore, some boldly predict that despite the intense three-way fight for the year-end finals spots, barring major surprises, the two tickets will most likely go to Badosa and Lepchenko, with Andreyeva destined to be an alternate, only able to play in Riyadh if someone withdraws.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonlit River Starry Sky)