TEXAS — World number one Iga Swiatek said she was left feeling confused after Simona Halep was handed a provisional ban for doping and hoped there would be more clarity soon on the future of the Romanian player she has looked up to.
Two-times major winner Halep was provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency this month after she tested positive for the banned blood-booster roxadustat.
Halep was tested during the US Open and both her A and B samples confirmed the presence of the anti-anaemia drug that stimulates the production of red blood cells, much like the prohibited substance Erythropoietin.
“Well, for sure it was confusing to me because I wouldn’t expect hearing this news. Simona, from my point of view, seems like a person who always cared about being fair and she was a great example for me,” Swiatek said, speaking ahead of the WTA Finals tournament which begins in Fort Worth, Texas on Monday.
Halep had described the ban as the “biggest shock of her life” and denied knowingly taking any banned substance.
“I don’t know how it works in terms of the system … Is she going to be tested a couple of more times or whatever? Hopefully it’s going to be more clear for fans and for us,” Swiatek added.
“But it’s disappointing and she must feel really bad. From my point of view, the most important thing for me is just taking care of myself, being safe always, making my environment more safe and being careful. So we’ll do that.”
Halep’s ex-coach Darren Cahill, who worked with the former world number one for six years and guided her to her first Grand Slam title, said last week there was “no chance” she had knowingly taken a prohibited substance.
Elsewhere, Felix Auger Aliassime extended his perfect career record against top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz to win 6-3, 6-2 in the semi-finals at the Swiss Indoors.
The ninth-ranked Canadian improved to 3-0 against the US Open champion and ran his overall win streak to 12 matches in October.
Alcaraz created the first break-point chance faced by Auger-Aliassime all week in Basel, but could not take it in what proved to be the final game.
Auger-Aliassime clinched with a service winner and will seek his third straight title in Sunday´s final against another 19-year-old, Holger Rune.
“So far it has been very close to perfect,” Auger-Aliassime said of his play in Basel. “I´ve been serving amazing, not getting broken once yet.
“There´s still one match to go, but it´s been a fantastic week, played some great tennis, and again today against the best player in the world,” he added according to AP.
Rune, who is ranked No. 25 though is unseeded in Basel, advanced to the final after beating sixth-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6 (1), 7-6 (6).
Coco Gauff, meanwhile, is hardly an unknown quantity at this point, even though she is still just 18.
The Floridian has proven herself by rising steadily through the rankings, up to a career-best No. 4 currently, and progressing steadily through Grand Slam brackets, including an appearance in her first major final at the French Open in June.
Gauff took the latest step in her evolution as a professional tennis player by qualifying for the first time in singles and doubles at the WTA Finals, which begin Monday on an indoor hard court set up in Dickies Arena.
She is one of four women making a singles debut at the season-ending event; only eight qualify.
“It is significant that there´s a lot of new faces. It shows that the tour is always evolving,” Gauff said after practicing with her doubles partner, Jessica Pegula, another player from the US who is participating in the WTA Finals for the first time. “There´s always going to be someone coming up and doing well. That´s what makes it exciting.”
Gauff and Pegula will face off against Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan. The singles matches earlier on Day 1 will be Pegula vs. Maria Sakkari, and Ons Jabeur vs. Aryna Sabalenka.
Jabeur and Daria Kasatkina are the other new faces in the singles field.
“Definitely proves I belong with the best players in the world,” said Jabeur, who is ranked No. 2 behind Iga Swiatek and was the runner-up this year at Wimbledon and the US Open, her first two Grand Slam finals.
Gauff burst onto the scene at age 15 in 2019, when she became the youngest qualifier in Wimbledon history, beat Venus Williams in the first round and made it all the way to the fourth.
Her initial major quarterfinal came at Roland Garros in 2021, and then she was the runner-up to Swiatek there this year.
