World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka loses to Jessica Pegula at WTA Finals
In a match at the WTA Finals in Cancun, World No 1 player Aryna Sabalenka was defeated by Jessica Pegula with a score of 6-4, 6-3. Pegula remains the only unbeaten player in Group A and is now closer to reaching the semi-finals. It is worth mentioning that Pegula lost all three of her matches in last year’s tournament.
World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka was defeated by Jessica Pegula in straight sets in the WTA Finals in Cancun on Tuesday.
Sabalenka and Pegula both won their first matches on Sunday. Sabalenka won easily against Maria Sakkari with a score of 6-0 6-1, while Pegula defeated Elena Rybakina with a score of 7-5 6-2.
American player Pegula, ranked 5th in the world, remains undefeated in Group A after defeating Sabalenka 6-4 6-3. This was only Pegula’s second win against Sabalenka in six matches.
One of Pegula’s previous losses to Sabalenka came in the group stage of the 2022 WTA Finals. However, she got revenge a year later and made it to the semi-finals because Elena Rybakina eliminated Maria Sakkari.
Sabalenka had been critical of the hastily-assembled arena in Cancun after beating Sakkari on Sunday, saying: “I’m very disappointed with the WTA and the experience at the WTA Finals.
“As a player, I feel really disrespected by the WTA. I think most of us do. This is not the level of organisation we expect for the Finals.
“To be honest, I don’t feel safe moving on this court a lot of the time, the bounce is not consistent at all, and we weren’t able to practise on this court until yesterday for the first time.”
Rybakina defeats Sakkari to set up clash with Sabalenka
Sabalenka will face Rybakina on Thursday night to decide the second player to advance from the group. Rybakina won against Sakkari with a score of 6-0, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2).
Rybakina started strong, winning the first set easily. However, Sakkari made a comeback by winning the second set in a tiebreak.
Sakkari had two opportunities to break serve in the final set at 4-4. However, Rybakina managed to come back and won the tiebreak convincingly, taking a 6-0 lead.
Swiatek and Gauff to meet on Wednesday
Sakkari and Rybakina will play on Tuesday, followed by Swiatek versus Gauff and Jabeur against Vondroušová on Wednesday.
Swiatek and Gauff are leading after defeating Vondroušová and Jabeur. Swiatek won 7-6 (7-3) 6-0 against Vondroušová, while Gauff had a dominating performance with a 6-0 6-1 victory over Jabeur from Tunisia.
Spaniard Riba joined Gauff’s team before the 2023 Eastbourne International in June. Later, the American hired Gilbert as a consultant.
The 19-year-old won three tennis tournaments: the Citi Open in Washington, the Cincinnati Open, and the US Open, all with their guidance.
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