Jessica Pegula put on a setpoint save clinic in the opening set of her battle with Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday in Riyadh, saving four in a two-game span as she rallied from a break down to the brink of level 5.
But her work was undone by the relentless World No.1, who grabbed the fifth set point by forcing a backhand error to take the opening set, 6-4.
Set in the books, there would still be more turbulence for Sabalenka to endure, but the world No.1 has made a living out of tough times in recent years.
Tuesday was no different as Sabalenka weathered the Pegula storm to remain atop the Stefanie Graf Group, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.
The win means Thursday will be critical in Riyadh, as Sabalenka, Pegula and Coco Gauff are still alive in the hunt for a semi-final place in the group.
If Gauff can defeat Sabalenka and Pegula ousts Paolini, the three players would all finish 2-1 with the rankings then decided by the amount of sets and/or matches won.
It looked like Pegula had all the momentum after dominating the second set and taking a break lead in the third set. The American had been living in the lead, saving 10 of 12 break points in two sets, and another in the second game in the third before going ahead with a break in the next game.
But Sabalenka went on a tear from there, sounding the alarm and breaking twice in a row to take a 5-2 lead.
She served out the win two games later, breathing a sigh of relief as she escaped another victory from the jaws of defeat.
“In the third set I was like I had nothing else to do but go in and try to play even more aggressively to put the pressure back on him,” Sabalenka said.
Dubrov, Leave, Sabalenka Return
Sabalenka gave her coach the business in the third set and eventually led to her coach Anton Dubrov being ejected from the arena in the third set.
“I went a little too far, there was a lot of frustration inside me and I was just trying to let it go,” Sabalenka said. “Honestly, I think it was the right move by him to leave me alone. He really upset me – I was very stressed and angry with him and it helped me bring out my best tennis.”
Sabalenka improves to 9-3 lifetime against Pegula, and shakes off a loss at the hands of the American last month in Wuhan.
Sabalenka has already locked down the WTA year-end No.1 ranking for the second consecutive year, but she is still chasing a goal she has yet to achieve in Riyadh. Although she is making her fifth straight appearance at the WTA Finals and has been seeded four times including this year, she has yet to win the title at the tournament’s final showpiece.
Sabalenka improved to 37-6 on hard courts this year – she will face Coco Gauff in her final round match on Thursday. Additionally, Sabalenka improves to 13-4 against the Top 10 in 2025, and 6-1 against the Top 5.
