Gauff downs poorly Paolini while Sabalenka holds nerve
Defending champion Coco Gauff kept her hopes alive of reaching the knockout stages of the WTA Finals with victory over Jasmine Paolini.
Defeat by fellow American Jessica Pegula in her opening group match in Riyadh had put Gauff in trouble but she eased to a 6-3, 6-2 win against Paolini.
The Italian has been struggling with illness and again was unable to show her best level physically, with Gauff overcoming a wobble midway through the first set.
The third seed said: “I’m really happy with how I played today, definitely a turnaround from my first match. It’s the beauty of this tournament, you have another chance to prove yourself. Hopefully I can do well in my next one to give myself a chance to stay in this tournament.”
Paolini is eliminated having not won a set while Gauff is likely to need to beat world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka to give herself a chance of reaching the semi-finals.
Sabalenka prevailed in a tough contest against Pegula to claim her second group match victory of the tournament.
The Belarusian earned a straight sets win over Paolini in her opening game, but faced a tight battle against Pegula and eventually clinched a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 victory.
Of her opponent, Sabelenka saluted “an incredible player. She always pushed me to the limit... I was thinking, I’m gonna go after my shots, stay aggressive, put all of that speed back on her and hope that I get my chance.”
The US Open champion grew frustrated as she made 13 unforced errors, nearly twice as many as Pegula, as the American got two breaks to build a 5-2 lead before saving two break points to secure the second set.
Sabalenka struggled with double faults as Pegula broke early in the third set. However, the world No 1 responded with returns near the sidelines to get two straight breaks, building a 4-2 lead that proved unassailable for Pegula.
Sabalenka now has two wins in the Stefanie Graf Group and will face Gauff next, while Pegula comes up against Paolini. PA Media and Reuters
Updated
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