RIYADH -- Top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus beat defending champion Coco Gauff of the United States 7-6 (5), 6-2 on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, to complete a clean sweep in the Steffi Graf group and advance to the semifinals of the 2025 WTA Finals.
Gauff had held a 6-5 edge in their head-to-head and won their most recent meeting in this year’s French Open final in three sets, but Sabalenka overturned the trend with a strong finish to the opening set and a dominant second.
The first set swung back and forth. Gauff broke serve in the opening game, Sabalenka broke back in the fourth, and Gauff regained the lead. Trailing 4-5, Sabalenka broke to level and forced a tiebreak.
In the tiebreak, Sabalenka won four straight points from 2-4 and converted her second set point.
Gauff’s level dipped in the second set as her errors rose, while Sabalenka surged to a 4-0 lead and closed out the match 6-2 for her third consecutive group win, leveling their head-to-head at 6-6.
Reflecting on the first set, Sabalenka said, “I was already working for the second set, to be honest. Something clicked ,and I was able to break, and that game gave me a lot of confidence that I still got it in this set. And yeah, super happy to get this winning straight sets.”
The world No. 1 Sabalenka, who is still chasing her first title at this event since reaching the final three years ago, topped the Steffi Graf Group and now faces Amanda Anisimova in a highly anticipated rematch of their U.S. Open championship clash.
“She (Anisimova) always makes me work hard, always great battles against her,” Sabalenka said ahead of her semis game. “I enjoy playing against her and I enjoy the fights, so I’m excited to play her. I hope it’s going to be a great match.”
Pegula advances
In the group’s other match on Thursday, fifth seed Jessica Pegula of the United States beat Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-3 to secure the second semifinal spot.
“Finally got a straight-sets win for the first time in like a few months,” Pegula said. “That always feels really good. I served well, played solid, and was aggressive when I needed to be. There weren’t any negative notes today.”
Pegula dominated early, taking five of the first six games as Paolini struggled with her serve. The 2023 runner-up wrapped up the first set with authority and never looked back.
Though Paolini showed resilience in the second, holding serve in the opening game, Pegula’s relentless pressure led to a third break and a
convincing win.
“We’re going to be really happy for the rest of the day and maybe for most of the night,” Pegula said. “But we’re going to switch strategies because it’s a quick turnaround. We’ll be ready for the next opponent.”
Pegula now faces Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, the standout player from the Serena Williams Group who is also in pursuit of her first title at the season-ending finale in Saudi Arabia. / XINHUA