WTA Finals 2025: Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula advance to Riyadh semi-finals
French Open champion Gauff didn’t make too many mistakes in the first set, but Sabalenka excelled in the tiebreak, winning 22 of the 24 breaks she has played this year.
Gauff’s serve has been problematic of late, but she performed very well in the first set – winning 72% of her first serve points, 62% of her first serve points and 70% of her second serve points.
However, she failed to win the first set after leading 5-4 before her first double fault of the match earned four-time Grand Slam singles champion Sabalenka two set points in the tie-break.
On the other side of the net, Sabalenka displayed a full range of emotions, fighting back from collapse twice; frustration after losing a few points, desperation after a backhand volley went wide in the tiebreak, and then celebration as she beat a powerful forehand winner to seal the win.
Sabalenka quickly took a 4-0 lead in the second game, and despite briefly losing one of two breaks, she won on serve and laid the foundation for her first WTA Finals title.
Sabalenka reached the semifinals for the fourth consecutive year but has only reached the final once, losing to Caroline Garcia in 2022.
