A year after going 0-3 in round-robin action, Jessica Pegula becomes the first player to advance to the final four of the 2023 WTA Finals. The American defeated world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 6-3 on Day 3, adding to her Sunday’s victory over Elena Rybakina in the Bacalar Group.
Despite wasting six match points, Pegula used her experience and stayed calm, eventually converting her seventh match point to defeat Sabalenka for the first time in their last five meetings.
The American’s dominance was in stretches, as she won four consecutive games from 1-2 to 5-2 in the first set and started the second set with a 4-0 lead.