Top seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani rallied from a set down in their final Group 1 match to secure a semifinal berth at the FAGE WTA Finals in Indian Wells on Friday, defeating Su-Wei Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko 2-6, 7-6 (2), 10-3.
The Canadian-Brazilian pair completed an unbeaten 3-0 run through the group stage, overcoming a set and a break deficit in the evening’s opening match. The victory set up a clash against second seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, who finished second in Group 2 with a 2-1 record.
Siniakova and Townsend have won both previous meetings between the two teams this season. Those encounters include a 6-0, 6-1 victory in the Roland Garros semifinals and a three-set win in the Miami semifinals.
Going the distance 👊 Gabriela Dabrowski & Luisa Stefani force a decider against Hsieh/Ostapenko!#FAGEWTAFinals | #TheUltimateStage pic.twitter.com/v10STBa9DH
Dabrowski is making her eighth appearance at the season-ending tournament. She won the 2024 title alongside Erin Routliffe, defeating Siniakova and Townsend in the final. Stefani is competing at the WTA Finals for the second time after reaching the final last year with Timea Babos. Together, Dabrowski and Stefani have claimed six titles this season, including WTA 1000 events in Wuhan, Beijing, and Dubai.
Meanwhile, Siniakova and Townsend are making their third consecutive WTA Finals appearance. The Czech-American duo has secured five titles this season, capturing trophies at Roland Garros, the US Open, Madrid, Miami, and Indian Wells. Siniakova previously won the WTA Finals title in 2021 alongside Barbora Krejcikova.
And then there were 4 😤 Who will stand tall on #TheUltimateStage?#FAGEWTAFinals pic.twitter.com/2awHFVB7Bv
In the other Group 1 match, third seeds Guo Hanyu and Kristina Mladenovic also rallied from a set down to claim a 6-7 (4), 6-3, 12-10 victory over Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai. Mertens and Zhang held two match points before Guo and Mladenovic fought back to finish second in Group 1 with a 2-1 record.
That result eliminated Hsieh and Ostapenko, who needed Mertens and Zhang to win. Guo and Mladenovic previously saved four match points against Hsieh and Ostapenko in their opening group match.
Guo and Mladenovic will face eighth seeds Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in the second semifinal. Errani and Paolini finished atop Group 2 with a perfect 3-0 record after securing the eighth and final qualification spot for the tournament.
The Italians advanced beyond the group stage for the first time in three appearances together. Errani and Paolini won a title in Tokyo and reached the final in Miami this season. Paolini is making her third consecutive WTA Finals appearance alongside Errani, while Errani previously qualified three times with Roberta Vinci.
Guo is making her WTA Finals debut, whereas Mladenovic is competing for the fifth time. The Frenchwoman won back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019 with Timea Babos, and has added titles at Wimbledon and Auckland with Guo this season.
Championship matches at the FAGE WTA Finals will simulcast for free on Tennis Channel 2.
