Sabalenka Gets Past Pegula at WTA Finals: World No. 1 Continues Perfect Run in Riyadh

The second match of the day at the WTA Finals pitted Aryna Sabalenka against Jessica Pegula, in a contest that was crucial for the race to qualify for the semi-finals.

After Coco Gauff's victory over Jasmine Paolini, it was time for the second match of the day in Riyadh between Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula. Both women had started their tournament perfectly, winning their respective matches against Paolini and Gauff.

The world number one led the head-to-head eight wins to three before today's match against the American and was hoping for revenge after Pegula won their semi-final at the WTA 1000 in Wuhan last month.

The match was balanced and saw several twists and turns. Sabalenka started well by winning the first set, before seeing her opponent react and easily win the second set after a double break.

Following her successful second set, the 31-year-old, world number 5, even took an early break to lead 2-1. Sabalenka then woke up to win five of the last six games (6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in 2 hours and 2 minutes).

With two wins in two matches, Sabalenka is well on her way to reaching the semi-finals but will need to secure her qualification against Gauff. To ensure qualification and first place in the Steffi Graf Group, she will need to take a set against the world number 3 on Thursday.

As for Pegula, she will play for her spot in the semi-finals against Jasmine Paolini, although everything will also depend on the Sabalenka-Gauff match. Three players will be fighting for qualification in the coming days in an exciting climax.