WTA Finals: Sabalenka downs Gauff to reach semis, Pegula also through

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Aryna Sabalenka got the better of Coco Gauff in straight sets to book her place in the WTA Finals last four, at the expense of the reigning champion.

In their first meeting since the Roland-Garros final, it was Sabalenka who came out on top this time, fighting to a 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 victory in 89 minutes to finish the round-robin stage with a perfect record.

Gauff had it all to play for, coming into the match with a 1-1 record in the tournament, and she started on the front foot, earning two early breaks to go 3-2 up.

She forced a further three break points but could not convert, opening the door for Sabalenka to draw level and force the tie-break. Four consecutive points then swung the momentum in favour of the world number one, who converted her second set point.

And Sabalenka remained in control in the second set, reeling off the first four games in a row while defending a break point in the last.

Though Gauff cut her lead to 4-2, she could not rally to a late comeback as she was broken to love before Sabalenka served out the match with little fuss.

She will be joined in the semi-finals by Jessica Pegula, who beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2 6-3 in Thursday's other match, though her place was only confirmed following Sabalenka’s victory.

It took the American just over an hour to clinch her win, as she converted four of the nine break points she forced and defended the sole one she faced.

Pegula is the oldest player to reach the semi-finals at the WTA Finals since Venus Williams in 2017.

Data Debrief: Sabalenka becomes a mainstay

Since her debut on the WTA Tour in 2017, Sabalenka is now the player with the most top-10 wins (54, surpassing Iga Swiatek with 53).

But more importantly, only Martina Navratilova (eight), Gabriela Sabatini (six) and Steffi Graf (five) have made more consecutive semi-finals at the WTA Finals than Sabalenka (four, 2022-2025) since the event's inception in 1972.

As for Pegula, she is the first American to register 53 wins in a single season at WTA level after turning 30, since Serena Williams (53 in 2015).