Defending champion Coco Gauf kept her hopes of advancing to the knockout stage of the WTA final alive with a win over Jasmin Paolini.
A loss to fellow American Jessica Pegula in her first group match in Riyadh put Gauff in trouble, but she beat Paolini 6-3 6-2.
The Italian battled an illness and was again unable to show her best physical level, and Gauff overcame a wobble midway through the first set.
The third seed said Ski Sports: “I’m really happy with how I played, definitely a turnaround from my first match.
“That’s the beauty of this tournament, you have one more chance to prove yourself. Hopefully I can make it in the next one to give myself a chance to stay in this tournament.”
Paolini was eliminated after failing to win a set, while Gauff will likely need to beat Aryna Sabalenko to give herself a chance of reaching the semi-finals.
Laura Robson on Gauff’s win: “A really solid performance. She’s almost her own harshest critic at times and you just hope she’s able to appreciate how well she came out and played given everything else.”
Tale of the Tape
Sabalenka won the match at the tournament
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Highlights of Arina Sabalenka vs. Jessica Pegula from the WTA Finals
Sabalenka she won a tough match against Pegula to claim her second group match win of the tournament.
The world number one beat Paolini in straight sets in her first match but faced a tough fight against Pegula and eventually claimed a 6-4 2-6 6-3 victory.
“Pegula is an amazing player. She always pushed me to the limit. I was thinking that I’m going to go for my shots, stay aggressive, give her all that speed back and hopefully I’ll get a chance,” Sabalenka said.
Tim Henman on Sabalenka’s win: “Without a doubt the best match of the tournament with such quality tennis and great ball hitting.”
What Steffi Graf Group looks like…
Sabalenka now has two wins in the group and will play Gauff next, while Pegula plays Paolini.
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