JUST IN: Chris Evert makes glowing claim about women’s tennis after enjoying Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka’s ‘high level’ WTA Finals showdown- Chose his favourite
Tennis legend Chris Evert was left impressed after watching Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff in the WTA Finals group stage match in Riyadh.
Sabalenka, the top seed, faced the American, who is the third seed and also the defending champion.
The Belarusian defeated Gauff 7-6 (7-5), 6-2. With the win, Sabalenka secured the top spot in the Steffi Graf group after winning all three games. Meanwhile, Gauff missed out on the semifinals, finishing in third behind Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula.
Evert made her feelings known about the Gauff vs Sabalenka clash:
“Watched the @SabalenkaA @CocoGauff match yesterday…really enjoyed it, high level, great shotmaking and defense from both ….women’s tennis just keeps getting better! #admiration #WTAFinals”
Gauff broke Sabalenka early in the first set and led 4-2, but Sabalenka fought back to force the tiebreak. Even there, Sabalenka was down 1-3, but she once again fought her way back to win the set. The second set was a complete annihilation as the Belarusian broke Gauff multiple times, converting 5 of 6 break-points to build an early 4-0 lead.
Most notably, Gauff committed six double faults during the match as compared to only one by Sabalenka. The serving troubles continue for Gauff in Riyadh it seems.
The match took place on Thursday, and the semifinal round has already taken place.
Aryna Sabalenka to face Elena Rybakina in WTA Finals
Aryna Sabalenka has entered the final after defeating Amanda Anisimova in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Sabalenka is ready to give her all to lift the trophy.
“It was an incredible fight, and I’m super happy to get the win,” she said after defeating Anisimova via TNT Sports. “I’m looking forward to leaving everything I have in the last match of the season and fighting for this beautiful trophy.”
Meanwhile, Rybakina set the date with Sabalenka after defeating Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Rybakina was satisfied with her performance against Pegula, despite being broken on serve.
“Jessica started pretty well, and I was a bit slow,” Rybakina said via TNT Sports. “She broke me, and it was not easy to come back, but I’m glad I managed to find my way and win in three.”
Both players are undefeated in the tournament so far, making this clash exciting. This will be their 14th meeting against each other, with Sabalenka having an 8-5 edge. Neither has won the WTA Finals in their career so far.
