Babos and Stefani Reach WTA Finals Championship
In their first tournament together at the WTA Finals, 7th seeds Timea Babos and Luisa Stefani advanced to the final after rallying from breaks down in both sets to beat 6th seeds Hsieh Su-Wei and Jelena Ostapenko with scores of 6-4, 7-6(5).
This marks a significant milestone for Stefani, who is competing in her inaugural WTA Finals and becomes the first Brazilian to reach the final in the tournament’s history. For Babos, it’s familiar territory as she is a three-time WTA Finals champion, making it to her fourth final with a third different partner.
Babos previously clinched titles with Andrea Sestini Hlavackova in 2017 and with Kristina Mladenovic in 2018 and 2019—experiences that aided her in securing another win here. “I’ve never lost in a semifinal of the WTA Finals, so I’m just focusing on that,” Babos remarked during her on-court interview. “I’m very proud of us.”
The well-matched duo of Babos and Stefani has reached their fifth final of 2025, marking their first above WTA 500 level and their third consecutive following previous tournaments in Ningbo and Tokyo.
In their first meeting, Babos and Stefani displayed impressive consistency. Despite Hsieh and Ostapenko leading 3-1 in the first set and 4-2 in the second, the Hungarian-Brazilian pair managed to fend off their opponents’ advances through strong defensive plays, preventing Hsieh’s crafty angles and Ostapenko’s powerful shots from breaking through.
Hsieh and Ostapenko had flashes of brilliance, with Ostapenko breaking Stefani for a 4-2 lead in the second set. They saved two match points while trailing at 5-4 but could not maintain momentum. At 5-5, Ostapenko’s forehand error marked her team’s 43rd unforced error, allowing Babos to clinch victory with a service winner.
Kudermetova and Mertens Stage Upset to Secure Final Spot
Three years ago, Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens captured the Martina Navratilova Trophy by defeating Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova. On Saturday, they returned to the WTA Finals championship, overcoming Siniakova and Taylor Townsend in another tense match tiebreak, winning 4-6, 7-6(6), [10-6], after saving a match point during the second set.
