After an action-packed tournament, the WTA Seoul final is scheduled for Sunday. Six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek will face Ekaterina Alexandrova for the title. It promises to be a great match, and, as always, we here at LWOT give our prediction and analysis for it. But who will raise the title?
Head-to-head: Swiatek 5-2 Alexandrova
Swiatek’s domination in her opening three matches in Seoul has brought back memories of when she felt unstoppable during her 37-match winning streak in 2022. The Pole only dropped 10 games in six sets against Sorana Cirstea, two-time Grand Slam singles champion Barbora Krejcikova, and rising star Maya Joint. Alexandrova recovered from losing the opening set against Lois Boisson before defeating Ella Seidel and Katerina Siniakova more comfortably.
Although the overall head-to-head is significantly in Swiatek’s favor, the pair are 2-2 on outdoor hard courts. That includes Alexandrova’s comprehensive 6-4 6-2 win at the 2024 Miami Open, but the No. 1 seed won their most recent meeting a few weeks ago at the US Open. Swiatek cruised to a 6-3 6-1 triumph and never looked in danger throughout their contest in New York.
The courts make Alexandrova’s challenge against the in-form 2025 Wimbledon champion even harder. They are very slow, and Swiatek prefers playing on hard courts that offer additional time. Getting free points on serve is also crucial to Alexandrova’s chances, and that will also be tougher because of the court speed. The 30-year-old must be successful on Swiatek’s second serve to have a realistic possibility.
Despite Alexandrova’s previous hard-court success against Swiatek, I do not foresee her repeating that in Seoul. The world No. 2’s level since the grass court swing has been vastly improved, and that confidence has been evident in Korea. If Swiatek is near her best, she will prevail in straight sets. However, expect the powerful Alexandrova to have some moments and also entertain the crowd.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
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