RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Coco Gauff kicked off her campaign at the WTA Finals with an impressive victory, defeating fellow American Jessica Pegula with a score of 6-3, 6-2. This match marked a strong beginning for Gauff as she competed in the season-ending tournament featuring the top eight players in the rankings.
Second-seeded Iga Swiatek also had a notable performance, managing to rally back and overcome Barbora Krejcikova in a hard-fought contest, winning 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. This match was Swiatek’s first in two months, as she had not played since her loss to Pegula in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open in September.
During her match, Gauff capitalized on five out of eight break-point chances. “I thought we both were playing at a high level,” she commented afterward, adding, “I just think I was able to break through on the more important points.” Gauff is set to face Swiatek on Tuesday, with the stakes high for control of the Orange Group. Meanwhile, Pegula will take on Krejcikova, the reigning Wimbledon champion.
Swiatek, who joined the tournament with a new coaching team, acknowledged the challenge of returning to competitive play. “Even though I played a lot of those (practice) matches, I kind of forgot for a while how it is to feel all those things, a bit different stress and emotions,” she stated. “For sure, I needed some time to adapt. The most important thing was that even though it happened, I managed to fight through that. And was patient enough to wait to get better.” Despite trailing 3-0 in the second set, Swiatek demonstrated resilience and determination, turning the tide against Krejcikova, who has faced her share of injuries this season, having only participated in 29 matches prior to this final event, with seven being victories at Wimbledon.
Earlier in the tournament, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka secured an easy straight-set win over Zheng Qinwen in the inaugural match of the finals in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, in the other match from the Purple Group, fourth-seeded Jasmine Paolini from Italy triumphed over fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina.