WTA Finals: Pegula sweeps aside Gauff in under an hour, the second semi postponed
Jessica Pegula defeated Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-1 in the WTA Finals semi-finals, and will play either Iga Swiatek or Aryna Sabalenka in the final
Zuma/Panoramic
World No 5 Jessica Pegula has powered her way past compatriot Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-1 in the first semi-final of the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico on Saturday evening, booking her spot in Sunday’s final.
The American was dominant throughout the encounter, which was once again marred by several rain delays, as fans have come to expect from the WTA Finals this year.
Pegula remains unbeaten at the WTA Finals, having swept the Bacalar Group 3-0 earlier in the week. Next up, she’ll play either Iga Swiatek or Aryna Sabalenka in the final. This semi-final has been posponed to Sunday due to the weather conditions. A Monday final will determine who lifts this year’s trophy.
Gauff fails to deliver, Pegula continues momentum
In a WTA Finals that has consistently underwhelmedy, semi-final one was yet another match that promised much, but failed to deliver.
Coco Gauff, who came into the WTA Finals in red-hot form with a 16-1 record across her past 17 matches, spluttered her way through the Chetumal Group this week. Qualifying for the semi-finals by the skin of her teeth thanks to a last-minute comeback against Marketa Vondrousova, the American had little more to give in this match.
From the opening game, Pegula was in control. The elder of the pair, who are also competing in the doubles together at the WTA Finals this week, grabbed a break of Gauff’s serve to love at the first opportunity, and never looked back.
Claiming the first set 6-2, Pegula continued in a similar fashion in the second. There were flashes of brilliance from Gauff, but ultimately she was outplayed across the board by the world No 5, getting her serve broken six times across the match.
Tomorrow’s final will be the biggest of Pegula’s career, with the American having twice won Masters 1000 events, but never having this level of success at the WTA Finals or Grand Slam level in the past.
