Aryna Sabalenka defeats Jessica Pegula to near WTA Finals semifinals
Aryna Sabalenka fought back from a break down in the deciding set to defeat Jessica Pegula 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in the Steffi Graf Group at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, improving her record to 2-0. Earlier, she had beaten Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-1 on the opening day.
This victory allowed Sabalenka to take revenge for her loss to Pegula in the Wuhan semifinal last October. The match was a battle of momentum swings, with both players trading dominant stretches across the three sets.
Match summary
- Sabalenka converted her fourth break point in the sixth game and held at love to lead 5-2, but Pegula broke back to 4-5 before Sabalenka sealed the first set 6-4.
- Pegula rebounded strongly, claiming breaks in the third and seventh games to take the second set 6-2.
- In the final set, Pegula earned a break for 2-1, but Sabalenka responded by winning four straight games to go ahead 5-2 and closed the match on her first match point in the ninth game.
Player reaction
"Pegula played incredible tennis. In the second set she started playing on another level, and when I went a break down in the third I just told myself I had to play more aggressive."
With this win, Sabalenka moves closer to qualifying for the semifinals and now needs to take only one set in her next round-robin match against Coco Gauff.
Author’s Summary
Sabalenka showed grit and composure, overcoming Pegula in three sets to edge closer to the WTA Finals semifinals in Riyadh, needing only one more set to progress.
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