WORLD No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka outlasted Jessica Pegula, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, while defending champion Coco Gauff delivered a commanding performance to defeat Jasmine Paolini, 6-3, 6-2, and eliminate the Italian from contention at the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.
Sabalenka, who has now won back-to-back matches in the round-robin Group Steffi Graf, is on the brink of reaching the semifinals. Gauff and Pegula, each with one win, remain in the hunt for a spot in the final four.
“(Pegula) is an incredible player. She always pushes me to the limit,” said Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion. “I just told myself to stay aggressive, go for my shots, and put the pressure back on her.”
Sabalenka earned the first break with a sharp cross-court chip to lead 4-2, but Pegula quickly broke back to close the gap to 5-4. Despite saving three set points, Pegula couldn’t stop Sabalenka from sealing the set with a blistering forehand winner from the baseline.
The U.S. Open champion, who had defeated Paolini on Sunday, struggled with consistency in the second set, committing 13 unforced errors — nearly double Pegula’s tally. The American capitalized with two breaks to move ahead 5-2 and held off two break points to level the match.
Pegula carried her momentum into the deciding set with an early break, but Sabalenka fought back with precise returns that clipped the sidelines. The Belarusian earned two consecutive breaks to surge ahead 4-2, a lead she never relinquished.
Gauff stays alive
Two-time Grand Slam champion Gauff rebounded impressively from her opening loss to Pegula, cutting her double faults from 17 to just three as she dismantled eighth seed Paolini earlier in the evening.
The 21-year-old raced to a 3-0 lead in just over 10 minutes before Paolini endured a nine-minute struggle to hold serve. Though the Italian managed one break, Gauff responded with crisp cross-court winners to reclaim control and serve out the set, 6-3.
In the second set, the French Open champion’s relentless baseline pressure forced Paolini into extended rallies. Gauff earned back-to-back breaks to go up 5-2 and sealed the victory with a powerful serve that Paolini returned into the net.
“I knew today’s win was important to keep myself in the tournament,” said Gauff, ranked world No. 3. “If I lost, I would’ve been out.”
Paolini exits the tournament after two straight defeats.
As of press time Wednesday, world No. 2 Iga Swiatek was playing against Amanda Anisimova, while Elena Rybakina was trading volleys with Madison Keys in Group Serena Williams. / From the wires