Acing the competition

Caroline Garcia defeats Aryna Sabalenka to win 2022 WTA Finals title in Fort Worth

Caroline Garcia is the 2022 WTA Finals champion.

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Caroline Garcia raised the trophy as 2022 WTA Finals champion at Fort Worth's Dickies Arena on Monday, November 7. No. 6-seed Garcia defeated No. 7-seed Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(4), 6-4 before an excited crowd in the championship match.

"I really went for it and I'm really, really happy to have win my biggest title," Garcia said.

Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens of Belgium defeated defending champs Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova of Czech Republic in a nailbiter - 6-2, 4-6, 11-9 - to earn the doubles title.

WTA Finals Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens (left) defeated defending double champs\u00a0Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova. Getty Images

The championship brought the week-long tournament to a rousing conclusion. The WTA Finals are the prestigious year-end finale for the Women’s Tennis Association, featuring the top eight singles players and doubles teams in the world.

Fort Worth hosted the tournament for the first time, October 31-November 7, after it was moved from Shenzhen, China. It's the first time the contest had been staged in North Texas, and the first time it was in the United States since 2005.

The top eight singles players who competed in a round robin-style tournament were:

No. 1 Iga Swiatek (Poland)
No. 2 Ons Jabeur (Tunisia)
No 3 Jessica Pegula (United States)
No. 4 Coco Gauff (United States)
No. 5 Maria Sakkari (Greece)
No. 6 Caroline Garcia (France)
No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka*
No. 8 Daria Kasatkina*

WTA Finals Runner-up Sabalenka received a glass sculpture created by Sinaca Glass Studios in Fort Worth.Getty Images

The total prize money pool for the tournament is $5 million. The singles winner takes home more than $1.5 million.

In addition to receiving a slightly smaller cash prize, the runners up in both singles and doubles took home beautiful glass sculptures created by Fort Worth's Sinaca Glass Studios. Everyone left Fort Worth with a cowboy hat, also presented on-court.

Championship night brought the largest and most engaged crowd of the tournament - split down the middle, it seemed, for both Garcia and Sabalenka.

"Today's atmosphere was pretty amazing," Garcia said. "I mean the fans really, like, enjoyed a lot the show. In US it's always like this, they love tennis, just love the show they give you. Right from the beginning they were really into it and I think they helped us to bring our best tennis. They were supporting both of us, and it was really nice and really respectful for everyone."

Added Sabalenka, "The atmosphere was unbelievable. I mean, I, to be honest, I didn't expect that my support for me here, and people support me a lot here, and I really enjoyed every second playing. It was, atmosphere was unbelievable. Really."

Sabalenka had stunned the tennis world when she upset top-seed and world No. 1 Swiatek in the semifinals November 6. Swiatek had dominated the tournament - not yet losing a set - as she had dominated women's tennis all year long.

Garcia had defeated Sakkari in the semifinals to make it to the championship.

(*Per WTA style, players native to Russia and Belarus do not have their country listed.)

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RIP Joe

Texas country music singer-songwriter Joe Ely dies at 78

Joe Ely/Facebook

Joe Ely was a major figure in Texas' progressive country scene.

Joe Ely, the legendary songwriter, singer, and storyteller whose career spanned more than five decades, has died from complications related to Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and pneumonia. He was 78.

According to a statement posted to his Facebook page, Ely died at his home in Taos, New Mexico, with his wife Sharon, and daughter Marie, at his side.

Born February 9, 1947, in Amarillo, Texas, Ely was raised in Lubbock and became a central figure among a generation of influential West Texas musicians. He later settled in Austin, helping shape the city’s reputation as a hub for live music.

"Joe Ely performed American roots music with the fervor of a true believer who knew music could transport souls," said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

In the 1970s, Ely signed with MCA Records, launching a career that included decades of recording and touring around the world. His work and performances left a lasting impact on the music scene and influenced a wide range of artists, including the Clash and Bruce Springsteen, according to Rolling Stone.

"His distinctive musical style could only have emerged from Texas, with its southwestern blend of honky-tonk, rock & roll, roadhouse blues, western swing, and conjunto. He began his career in the Flatlanders, with fellow Lubbock natives Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, and he would mix their songs with his through 50 years of critically acclaimed recordings."

Read the full story at KVUE.com.

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