Aryna Sabalenka walked a fine line between control and fire Tuesday at the WTA Finals, ultimately channeling both to outlast Jessica Pegula in three sets.
WTA Finals: Scores | Draws | Order of play
Sabalenka rallied from a break down in the final set, fending off another spirited charge from Pegula to win 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in just over two hours at King Saud University Indoor Arena. The victory keeps her unbeaten in Riyadh and inches her one step closer to the semifinals.
It marked Sabalenka’s ninth win in 12 meetings against the American, though that doesn’t tell the full story, as the rivalry has grown increasingly competitive of late. Each of their last three matches has gone the distance.
“She always pushes me to the limit,” Sabalenka said after the match. “In the second set, I felt like she stepped in and played incredible tennis. In the third set, I was thinking, ‘OK, I’m going to go after my shots, I’m going to stay even more aggressive and put all that speed back on her and hope I’ll get my chance.’
“And yeah, again she pushed me and I love it. I love playing against her because it’s never an easy match. It’s always great tennis, great level, great points and I’m super happy with the win.”
WTA
The victory doesn’t guarantee Sabalenka a semifinal spot, but she’s in the driver’s seat as the only player at 2-0 in the Stefanie Graf Group. Jasmine Paolini has been eliminated, leaving Sabalenka, Pegula and Coco Gauff — Sabalenka’s next opponent — still in contention.
Key moments: After brushing aside an early break point in the first set, Sabalenka struck first, converting her fourth opportunity with a forehand winner to take a 4-2 lead. She then held serve and extended her lead to 5-2.
Pegula fought back, saving a set point and breaking Sabalenka to close the gap to 5-4. But Sabalenka stayed persistent, converting her fifth set point to take the opener in 45 minutes.
In the second set, Sabalenka continued to pressure Pegula’s serve, but it was Pegula who capitalized on her chances. She broke at love in Sabalenka’s second service game and again later in the set for a 5-2 lead.
Sabalenka needed to win the second set to clinch the Stefanie Graf Group ahead of Thursday’s matches. She had a couple more chances to get back on track in the set with a pair of break points in the final game, but Pegula saved both and fired three forehand winners to force a decider.
Pegula broke early again in the third set for a 2-1 lead, putting herself in position for a second straight comeback win against Sabalenka, who was struggling mightily on her first serve.
But as she often does, Sabalenka found another gear, one that few on the Hologic WTA Tour can match. Her first serve returned, errors turned into winners and, most importantly, her signature roar was restored.
She won four straight games to take a 5-2 lead and didn’t falter when serving for the match, sealing it with a final forehand winner that brought her to her knees and to the cusp of the final four.
What’s next: Sabalenka’s win was her 61st of the season and 13th against a top 10 opponent, the most in a season since Iga Swiatek posted 15 in 2022.
She’ll face Gauff next with a chance to raise that total to 14 and even their head-to-head, which currently favors the American 6-5.
A win would secure Sabalenka first place in the Stefanie Graf Group with a perfect 3-0 record and advance her to the semifinals in Riyadh. She’d likely advance even with a loss, though there’s a slim chance that she’d be eliminated.