Follow us on Google Discover Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula continue their busy seasons at the Wuhan Open, which continues the build-up to the WTA Finals Riyadh.
Pegula meets fellow American Hailey Baptiste in her opening match at the Wuhan Open, while Gauff takes on Moyuka Uchijima.
But their focus will quickly turn to the WTA Finals Riyadh, an event Gauff won in 2024, defeating Qinwen Zheng in the final to lift the season-ending trophy.
And she has already qualified for this year’s tournament, along with two other American WTA Tour players.
Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys have also qualified for the WTA Finals Riyadh, as have Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesCoco Gauff and Jessica Pegula could help break 20-year American record at WTA Finals
Gauff, Anisimova and Keys could be joined by Pegula at the season-ending event in November, with Pegula currently fifth in the rankings.
And her presence would mean that four American women would be playing at the WTA Finals for the first time in more than 20 years.
In 2002, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Jennifer Capriati and Monica Seles flew the flag for the USA at the tournament.
Just after the turn of the century, Belgian Kim Clijsters defeated Serena Williams 7-5, 6-3 to claim the title.
RankPlayerPoints1Aryna Sabalenka (Qualified)9,6102Iga Swiatek (Qualified)8,1533Amanda Anisimova (Qualified)5,9084Coco Gauff (Qualified)5,5745Jessica Pegula4,5986Madison Keys (Qualified)4,4507Mirra Andreeva4,3098Elena Rybakina3,806Race to the WTA Finals 2025Tracy Austin and Pam Shriver react to potential American women’s tennis record
It has indeed been a stunning season for American women’s tennis, epitomised by their Grand Slam champions.
Keys won the Australian Open and Gauff won the French Open, while Anisimova reached the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open.
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Former players Tracy Austin and Pam Shriver have now reacted to their latest efforts regarding the WTA Finals, with the former saying on Tennis Channel: “I’m so proud of them.
“A couple of them have been there a number of times. For Madison Keys, she’s going to go back a second time.
“But I think for Amanda Anisimova, this is so special. We have all watched her as a young teen, get to the semifinals of Roland Garros, have that break a couple of years ago, the mental break, and then this year, just the trajectory of going into the top 10, into the top five now.
“And now she is number three in the race. She has worked hard, she deserves it, fun to watch her success.”
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Shriver added: “There have been many eras in women’s tennis where having four USA women in the top eight was kind of normal. And to see it back is great.
“I want to remember the momentum last year at the end with Pegula getting in the finals of the US Open and Coco Gauff winning the championship was big.
“But this is the last time it happened (2002), over 20 years ago. And look at those names. They are legendary names in US tennis.”
Sam Querrey reacts to America potentially having two players at the ATP Finals
The impressive scene with American women’s tennis was indeed referenced by former player Sam Querrey when commenting on their male counterparts.
Discussing how America could have two men make the ATP Finals for the first time since 2006, Querrey said on Tennis Channel: “That just tells everyone, not just me, tells America, the American men… we’ve been lagging behind the women for a little bit.
“But the American men with [Taylor] Fritz, with [Ben] Shelton, with Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe, and then the young guns coming up too. We’ve got Learner Tien, who we’re talking a lot about.
“There’s a good group of American men. So we’ve got two this year, maybe three next year, maybe four who knows, but we’ll take the two for now.”
It is Fritz and Shelton who look set to clinch spots at this year’s ATP Finals, which will take place in Turin in November.
They would follow in the footsteps of 2006 duo James Blake and Andy Roddick, with the former having been beaten by Roger Federer in that year’s final.