Defending champion Coco Gauff delivered a clinical performance to secure her first win at the WTA Finals on Tuesday, defeating Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2 in Riyadh. The victory eliminates the Italian eighth seed from semi-final contention in the Stefanie Graf Group. Gauff's display was a stark improvement from her opening loss to fellow American Jessica Pegula on Sunday, where she committed a staggering 17 double faults. Against Paolini, she was far more controlled, recording just three double faults and winning 15 of 19 points on her second serve.
Gauff, who hired biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan in late August to address technical issues, credited her return to "the basics" for the sharp turnaround. The American immediately jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first set by drawing Paolini into backhand rallies and employing precise cross-court shots. Gauff's strategy of forcing Paolini to constantly run proved effective again in the second set, leading to back-to-back breaks.
"I'm really happy with how I played today, definitely a turnaround from my first match," Gauff said. "Only three double faults today compared to 17 – that's a big difference. It just shows that I have the ability to serve like this and it definitely gives me confidence."
In the later match in the same group, top seed Aryna Sabalenka battled past Jessica Pegula 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. The Belarusian world number one recovered from an early third-set break to avenge her recent loss to Pegula in the Wuhan semi-finals and strengthen her own qualifying chances.
Sabalenka converted just four of 16 break points but fought hard, winning a match where Pegula continued her recent streak of long contests. "She's an incredible player, she always pushes me to that limit," Sabalenka commented on Pegula. "In the third set, I just told myself to go for it."
Paolini's straight-sets loss means she cannot advance to the semi-finals, although she remains in contention in the doubles event. The Italian, who had struggled with illness leading up to the tournament, admitted the high level of play was difficult to manage. "Coming here and not being 100 percent, it’s painful, of course," she said afterward. "It’s not easy to play at that level. Today was a tough one. I was hoping to play a bit better, but I didn’t."
Gauff (1-1), Sabalenka (2-0), and Pegula (1-1) are now all in contention for the two semi-final spots from the Stefanie Graf Group. Gauff will face Sabalenka on Thursday in the final round-robin match.
The American knows the stakes are high: "I knew today's win was important to keep myself in the tournament. If I lost, I would have been out." She added, "It's definitely going to be a big match for me. I know I need to win to give myself the chance to move on. It could be my last match of the season, so that’s how I’ve been playing it every match this tournament.”
