WTA Finals tennis: Jessica Pegula v Jasmine Paolini, Aryna Sabalenka v Coco Gauff – live | WTA Finals
Key events
Paolini makes it 0-15 but then hits a forehand, and I wonder if Pegula’s greater consistency on the ground will be decisive here. A winning service gives her 40-15, she closes and at 3-1 approves her break.
Does anyone throw the ball higher than Paolini? It’s funny because she has more time than most before the drop goes down, and less hands to overcome it, but anyway, she ends up below 30-40 and, as we thought, hits the middle; Pegula goes for the winner and hits it wide. But with the advantage, she cuts the top of the net, and taking advantage of the extra time this allows while the ball rises, Pegula punishes a winner down the line, then rushes for two by attacking Paolini’s forehand, securing the break and a 2-1 lead.
Pegula responds with an emphatic loving grasp, his forehand down the line in excellent order. She really likes it, it shows, and of the three vying for the two semi-final spots, she’s the one you’d bet on to get there.
Paolini loses 0-15 but soon makes it 30-15, and a wide backhand gives him a game point. And while a decent return tempts him to go wide, a decent first serve secures the hold. “It’s always good to get the first game under your belt,” reveals Tim Henman.
Ready…play.
Pegula wins the toss and chooses to receive. She beat Coco Gauff earlier in the week and against Sabalenka, she had a break in the third; Paolini was splashed twice on the straight.
Paolini, of course, has been ill this week, but she looks quite happy on the pitch.
I assume Paolini will try to move Pegula, as she has the athletic advantage, while trying to hit winners; I wonder if Pegula will strike in the middle to deny the angle, looking to prolong the rallies and invite error.
Take out our players; Paolini’s mascot is about his size.
So, how will our first match go? Well, Pegula is in very good form, giving Sabalenka all she could handle on Tuesday, while Paolini looked exhausted being knocked out in singles and doubles. So there’s a good chance that Pegula, who is playing to qualify, will do enough, but her lack of a definitive weapon means she will always be beatable against the top players, and Paolini is certainly one of them.
Babos/Stefani therefore win, as far as I know they qualify for the final four with Siniakova/Townsend.
We have a tiebreaker in today’s first doubles match; the couples are Dabrowski/Routliffe and Babos/Stefani.
Preamble
Greetings everyone and welcome to your afternoon of fun and joy, also known as the final round of group matches of the 2025 WTA Tour Finals.
We start with Jessica Pegula vs Jasmine Paolini, there’s a lot going on, except following them to court we’re lucky enough to have Aryna Sabalenka vs Coco Gauff – a treat in any circumstance, let alone these.
Paolini is out, having lost both her matches in a state of enthusiastic exhaustion, but the other three are fighting for two places in the semi-finals, Sabalenka with a score of 2-0 and the other two 1-1. Depending on what’s happening today, here are the permutations, from least complex to most:
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If Paolini and Gauff win, Gauff wins the group and Sabalenka takes second place.
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If Pegula and Sabalenka win, Sabalenka wins the group and Pegula takes second place.
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If Paolini and Sabalenka both win in twos, Sabalenka wins the group and Gauff takes second place; If Paolini and Sabalenka both win in three, Sabalenka wins the group and Pegula takes second place; if Paolini wins in three and Sabalanka wins in two, Sabalenka wins the group and Gauff takes second place; and if Paolini wins in two and Sabalanka wins in three, Sabalenka wins the group and Gauff takes second place.
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If Gauff and Pegula both win in twos, Gauff wins the group and Pegula takes second place; if Gauff and Pegula both win in three, Gauff wins the group and Sabalenka takes second place; if Gauff wins in two and Pegula wins in three, Gauff wins the group and Sabalenka takes second place; and if Gauff wins in three and Pegula wins in two, which players advance will be decided by the number of games won in the group.
Got it? No? Me neither, but all will soon be revealed and in the meantime we like to ignore the outcome and focus on the process: it’s going to be good.
Reading: 5:00 p.m. local, 2:00 p.m. GMT
