Aryna Sabalenka says she’s ‘really upset’ by what her coach did during her match with Jessica Pegula at the WTA Finals

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Aryna Sabalenka has secured her second win in as many matches at the WTA Finals with a hard-fought victory over Jessica Pegula.

The top seed at the WTA Finals, Sabalenka defeated the American 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in her second match in Riyadh.

It follows the WTA number one’s 6-3, 6-1 victory over Jasmine Paolini, with Coco Gauff now up next for the Belarusian.

The quartet are involved in the Stefani Graf group at the WTA Finals, with Madison Keys, Amanda Anisimova, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina in the Serena Williams group.

But Sabalenka and Pegula arguably played out the match of the tournament so far, which certainly wasn’t without controversy.

Aryna Sabalenka left ‘really upset’ by what her coach did during her match with Jessica Pegula

Sabalenka’s coach Anton Dubrov left during the third set, having been on the receiving end of her frustration against Pegula.

Asked post-match on Sky Sports Tennis what happened with Dubrov, she replied: “I don’t remember when it happened last time, if it’s actually ever happened.

“But probably I was a little bit too much on him. I was so frustrated inside of me, and I was just like throwing it back on him. Probably went too far.

“But you know what, maybe he did the right move, because he really… I don’t want to say the way I wanted to say… he really upset me, and that’s why I was able to pull out something else, because I was so, in a way, stressed.”

Aryna Sabalenka assesses Jessica Pegula’s performance in their WTA Finals match

Sabalenka was brutally honest in her post-match assessment, having clearly been left annoyed by her long-term coach.

Ultimately, however, his exit didn’t seem to have a negative impact on the player, who if anything stepped up her game from that moment onwards.

Asked what she was going through during the roller-coaster match, Sabalenka replied: “She played incredible tennis in that second set.

“I felt like it was an exchange of incredible shots in the first set from me. The second set, she just stepped in and started playing on another level.

“And in the third set, when I was one break down, I was just like, ‘You know what, you have to go for shots, you have to play even more aggressive, you have to put the pressure back on her and let her know that you’re not giving up that easily’. And yeah, I was just trying to stay as aggressive as I can.”

And when told she entered “beast mode” towards the end of the match, she commented: “I have to say yes.

“I felt sorry and at the same time I was so happy that I was able to find that beast mode inside of me and go after my shots and play unbelievable. I think Jessica played an incredible match and there is nothing she’s done wrong.”

It truly was a champion’s performance from Sabalenka, who will now be eager to break further American hearts by overcoming Gauff.

Gauff, the WTA Finals defending champion, lost her first match against Pegula but recovered to beat Paolini.