JAKARTA – Aryna Sabalenka secured a victory over Jessica Pegula to maintain her top spot in Group Steffi Graf and keep alive her hopes of qualifying for the semifinals of the 2025 WTA Finals.
The world number one recorded her second victory in the preliminary round against the American, winning 6-4, 2-6, and 6-3 in Riyadh on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, local time.
"Pegula is an extraordinary player. She always pushes me to my limits. I thought I had to be brave and take risks and stay aggressive," Sabalenka said, as quoted by CNA.
This was Sabalenka's second win in two matches in Group Steffi Graf, a result that puts her on the verge of qualifying for the semifinals.
Previously, the Belarusian defeated Jasmine Paolini of Italy in the first match with a more convincing 6-3, 6-1 score.
Paolini's hopes of reaching the semifinals were all but over after her latest match was defeated by defending champion Coco Gauff, who dominated the match 6-3, 6-2.
Sabalenka broke Pegula's serve first to take a 4-2 lead. However, Pegula quickly broke back and reduced the deficit to 4-5.
Pegula saved three set points in the next game, but Sabalenka ultimately took the opening set with a powerful forehand from the baseline.
The 2025 US Open champion was initially frustrated after making 13 unforced errors, almost twice as many as Pegula, allowing her opponent to secure two breaks and close out the second set 6-2.
In the deciding set, Sabalenka faltered again with several double faults and lost serve early.
However, she immediately responded with two consecutive breaks thanks to sharp returns near the line to build a 4-2 lead that Pegula couldn't overcome.
Meanwhile, Gauff put on a solid performance to keep her chances of staying in the tournament alive. The 21-year-old, who previously committed 17 double faults in her loss to Pegula in her first match of the Steffi Graf Group, only made three such errors and put on a dominant performance against eighth-seeded Paolini.
Gauff needed just over 10 minutes to take a 3-0 lead in the first set before Paolini saved three break points in a tense nine-minute battle to take the first game.
Paolini briefly responded with a break, but Gauff forced her to fight with backhand rallies and controlled points with precise crosscourt shots to take a 5-3 lead, then closed out the first set with a convincing serve.
Gauff's strategy of having Paolini constantly run from side to side of the court was effective again in the second set. She recorded two consecutive breaks and took a 5-2 lead before securing victory with a powerful serve that Paolini failed to return.
This second consecutive loss eliminated the Italian from the tournament.
In the final group match, Sabalenka will face Gauff. Both players will be aiming for a win to secure a smooth passage to the semifinals.
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