By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, November 6, 2025Photo credit score: Matthew Stockman/Getty for WTA
Fierce front-runner Aryna Sabalenka already locked up the season-ending high spot earlier than the WTA Finals started.
As we speak, the world No. 1 exuded dedicated comeback character.
Down a break twice within the opening set, Sabalenka roared again repelling defending-champion Coco Gauff 7-6(5), 6-2 to safe her semifinal spot and knock the third-seeded American out of Riyadh.
The highest-seeded Sabalenka concludes round-robin play with a 3-0 file successful the Steffi Graf Group. Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula superior to the semifinal from the Steffi Graf Group at the moment.
Undefeated within the Stefanie Graf Group 💪@SabalenkaA defeats Gauff 7-6, 6-2 and books her ticket to the semifinals.#WTAFinalsRiyadh pic.twitter.com/NCOllsRcuy
— wta (@WTA) November 6, 2025
It’s the fourth consecutive WTA Finals semifinal for Sabalenka—she’s the primary girl to succeed in 4 in a row since Corridor of Famer Maria Sharapova did it from 2004 to 2007—and there’s a large reward looming on the finish of the Riyadh rainbow. If the No. 1 takes the title undefeated she’ll money a champion’s examine of $5.2 million.
“I really feel nice,” Sabalenka informed Tennis Channel’s Coco Vandeweghe in her on-court interview. “I really feel like yearly I’d play, I’d lose a minimum of one match in spherical robin.
“This yr I got here and I take this event as a daily event. I am going onto the court docket, I attempt to struggle, I attempt to carry my greatest tennis and I’m tremendous blissful to get this win in straight units.”
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Earlier, the fifth-seeded Pegula dismissed Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-3 in 63 minutes. Rome champion Paolini, who had been bothered by an obvious chilly, was not her typical feisty self all through the event and went winless in round-robin play.
The 2023 finalist Pegula was all enterprise reaching her second WTA Finals semifinal within the final three years. It was Pegula’s twenty sixth profession Prime 10 win as she goals for a seventh last of the season.
Sabalenka’s sweep of Gauff, which got here a day after Amanda Anisimova knocked out Iga Swiatek in a three-set thriller, means each former champions are out of the sphere and a brand new WTA Finals champion might be topped on Saturday.
It additionally means two of the ultimate 4—Anisimova and Pegula—are People.
In tomorrow’s semifinals, Sabalenka performs the fourth-seeded Anisimova in a rematch of the US Open last, which the Belarusian received. Storming by means of her nineteenth straight tiebreaker win, Sabalenka stopped Aminisova 6-3, 7-6(3) to efficiently defend her US Open championship and seize her fourth Grand Slam crown in Flushing Meadows two months in the past.
General, Anisimova is 6-4 vs. Sabalenka, together with a three-set win within the Wimbledon semifinals in July.
“We’ve a fantastic historical past—that’s true—at all times nice battles,” stated Sabalenka. “I’m excited going through her. My mentality going to be go on the market, carry every part I can, do every part doable and work onerous for a dream.”
The second-semifinal pits the undefeated Rybakina towards Pegula. Rybakina, like Sabalenka, can gather a $5.2 million champion’s examine if she runs the desk by means of the semifinals and last.
The 31-year-old Pegula has received three of 4 conferences vs. Rybakina, together with a 7-5, 6-2 triumph of their most up-to-date encounter on the 2023 WTA Finals in windy Mexico.
The subtext of at the moment’s twelfth assembly between Gauff and Sabalenka was the 21-year-old American had crushed the Belarusian of their two greatest finals. Gauff drained 70 errors from Sabalenka on a gusty Paris Saturday in a 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 victory within the Roland Garros last. That got here a few years after Gauff—and a vocal Flushing Meadows fanbase—stopped Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 within the 2023 US Open last.
Additional, biomechanical coach Gavin MacMillan, who helped Sabalenka repair her as soon as wayward serve, now sits in Gauff’s teaching field after becoming a member of her group every week earlier than the US Open started.
Realizing the generally unstable Belarusian in addition to he is aware of, you may wager MacMillan suggested Gauff to make the facility participant hit an additional ball as typically as doable.
On the outset, Sabalenka was too amped up, scattering seven unforced errors and wailing in prolonged, exaggerated grunts as Gauff broke to open then held at 15 for a 2-0 lead.
The 2-time US Open champion broke again to degree after 4 video games, however Gauff, whose forehand was standing as much as Sabalenka’s jolting energy, broke once more for 3-2 then slid an ace out broad then helped her consolidate the break for a love maintain and 4-2 lead.
All through the set, Gauff hit nearly unique kick serves as she did towards Paolini on Tuesday and the end result was a lot cleaner, albeit slower, serving than the 17 double faults she hit towards Pegula in her round-robin opener.
Serving for the primary set at 5-4, 30-0, Gauff was two factors from a one set lead, however pulled again and performed to not lose factors as a substitute of attempting to win them.
That Gauff reticence rewarded Sabalenka’s aggression.
Deadlocked at 30-all, Sabalenka ran down a netcord shot, drop-shotted Gauff then went nose-to-nose at internet bumping a backhand volley winner for break level. For the second time within the recreation, Gauff performed a drop shot—an indication her forehand confidence could also be waning—however Sabalenka ran it down shoveling a forehand cross down the road and bellowing “come on!” breaking again for 5-all.
Afterward, Sabalenka admitted her thoughts was already on the second set when she was two factors away from shedding the primary.
“I used to be already working for the second set, to be trustworthy,” Sabalenka stated. “I used to be simply looking for the rhythm on her serve. I used to be simply attempting to struggle, .
“After which in some way I used to be in a position to flip round issues. I believe that recreation gave me like an additional increase of vitality and perception that I can nonetheless win this set and yeah, I did it.”
A resurgent Sabalenka stamped her second straight love maintain—her tenth consecutive level on serve—to take her first lead of the day at 6-5.
Resetting, Gauff posted a assured maintain at 15 to pressure the first-set tiebreaker.
Although Sabalenka was the extra demonstrative participant—and regarded downright frazzled earlier within the set—the Tiebreaker Queen lived as much as her popularity within the further session with a dedicated comeback from 2-4 down within the breaker.
Sabalenka stoned a routine backhand volley broad from almost on high of the web giving Gauff the early 3-1 lead. Although she prolonged the result in 4-2, the defending champion unraveled in premature errors. Gauff netted her signature shot—the two-handed backhand—and the Belarussian banged the broad serve to degree at 4-all.
For a lot of the set, Gauff’s serve and forehand have been strong photographs. At 4-5, Gauff coughed up her first double fault of the day to face double set level.
The highest seed torched the broad serve, creating an expanse of open house, for a flashy forehand winner to grab the 55-minute opener.
Leaving all of it on court docket 😤@SabalenkaA takes the primary set 7-6(5) over Gauff.#WTAFinalsRiyadh pic.twitter.com/8PANYPuKKr
— wta (@WTA) November 6, 2025
Credit score Sabalenka for calming her nerve and cracking each first serve within the breaker to enhance to an impressive 22-2 in 2025 tiebreakers.
Realizing she wanted the straight-sets win to advance to the semifinals, the sting got here off Gauff’s recreation and her forehand lapsed into spots of wildness within the second set.
Sabalenka surged by means of 12 of the primary 15 factors of the second set constructing a 3-0 lead she prolonged to 4-0.
Gauff bought on the board within the fifth recreation then fought again from 40-love down breaking for 2-4.
That was the defending champion’s last stand. Gauff’s forehand went MIA–she was so late on one return it even missed the doubles sideline—as Sabalenka transformed her fifth of six break factors on the day for a 5-2 lead.
Whereas Gauff definitely confirmed indicators of progress on each serve and forehand to proceed her evolution as a champion she’s bought to develop comfy shifting spins on her serve, mixing the kick with the slider serve, particularly broad on the deuce facet. Hitting the kick completely handcuffed the 5’4” Paolini, however Sabalenka stands half a foot taller and as soon as she bought dialed in on return she drilled some deep ones successful 11 of 18 factors performed on Gauff’s second serve.
On the forehand, ideally you’d wish to see Gauff regularly shift her grip from full western to semi western—she already makes a grip change when attacking internet to volley—however that can take time. Two speedy enhancements Gauff could make is halt her tendency to leap into flying forehands which frequently trigger her to open up on the shot and spray it and attempt to assault midcourt balls rapidly with the topspin drive forehand whereas now she’ll generally choose to hit a slice forehand that works as an method shot however isn’t typically a ending shot.
On Sabalenka’s facet, she confirmed once more at the moment she will be able to settle her nerve when she’s on the precipice of self-implosion and belief her photographs. When Sabalenka tempers her energy with persistence—and whips the broad serve to arrange the forehand strike as she did serving out the match at the moment—she stays a devastating pressure.
