American tennis player Jessica Pegula became the first player to reach the semi-finals of the WTA Finals. In Cancun, the world number five was too strong for world number one Aryna Sabalenka in two sets (6-4, 6-3).
After four straight defeats without winning a set, Pegula quickly took control in her sixth encounter with the Belarusian. Still, last year’s losing finalist Sabalenka must have been sweating when she came back from 5-2 to 5-4.
However, Pegula kept her cool and took the first set when Sabalenka sent the ball into the net.
In the second set, the American quickly took a 4-0 lead, but again Sabalenka fought back with a score of 5-3. Pegula had to work hard in the last game but eventually got her seventh match point.
Rybakina recovers from Sakkari
Jelena Rybakina defeated Maria Sakkari in the other group match with sets of 6:0, 6:7 (4), 7:6 (2). Both players had lost their first match and had to win to have a chance of advancing to the quarter-finals. The Kazakh, ranked fourth in the world, left Greece’s ninth player behind in the first set.
Sakkari took her revenge by winning the second set in the tiebreak and had two opportunities to break Rybakina’s serve 4-4 in the third set. He failed to do so and Rybakina then scored the decisive tiebreaking shot to quickly take a 6-0 lead and take control of the game.
Thanks to this win, Pegula guaranteed a place in the top two of the Bacalar group. Sabalenka and Rybakina will decide next evening who will prepare for the semi-finals as the group runners-up. Sakkari made it to the last four after two defeats.
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
