Coco Gauff’s WTA Finals title defence came to an end in the group stage after losing to Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.
The American came out firing in the first set, breaking the world number one twice and holding her own on serve.
Sabalenka fought back to force a tiebreak and clinched the shootout 7-5, and she took the momentum into the second set, which she won 6-2 to advance.
In beating Gauff for the second time this season, the Belarusian has booked her place in the semifinals of the WTA Finals for the fourth consecutive year.
She has now earned ‘revenge’ against the 21-year-old, who overcame her in the French Open final in June.
Aryna Sabalenka reacts to beating Coco Gauff at the WTA Finals
Speaking to Sky Sports, Sabalenka said: “Going into this match, I wasn’t thinking about how to get through it, I was thinking [about] how to get the win.
“It doesn’t matter what is going on in our group. I was just trying to focus on the tennis and try and get revenge after Roland Garros, and that was my focus.”
Gauff came back from a set down to beat Sabalenka in the championship match at Roland Garros, where she claimed her second Grand Slam title.
Five months later, Sabalenka has tied their head-to-head once again at 6-6.
When asked about the pressure of needing to win the match to go through, she responded: “I mean, I am not really happy that I put myself in that situation, but players are playing incredible tennis, so I have to be happy that every time I am able to pull out such great tennis.
“I want to go out there in the semis and fight for every point,” said Sabalenka, who will face Amanda Anisimova in the final four.
She has played Anisimova three times this season, with the trio of tour-level meetings all coming at Grand Slams.
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The US Open champion said of her next opponent: “She is an incredible player. We always have great battles. We have a great history.
“I am so happy to see her back and fighting and playing her best tennis. It’s always enjoyable playing against her because you know it’s going to be a great fight.
“Whenever I focus on myself and think about what I have to do, without getting overly emotional, that’s the key for me.”
There will be a new champion at the WTA Finals for the 10th time in a row
Sabalenka’s victory against Gauff has confirmed that there will be a new WTA Finals champion at this year’s tournament.
The semifinal contenders in Riyadh are Sabalenka, Anisimova, Jessica Pegula, and Elena Rybakina, all of whom have yet to win the competition.
Serena Williams was the last player to win the WTA Finals in consecutive years, with the American legend three-peating from 2012 to 2014.
Since then, various WTA stars have emerged victorious at the event, including Caroline Wozniacki, Elina Svitolina, and Ashleigh Barty.
| Year | Winner |
| 2015 | Agnieszka Radwanska |
| 2016 | Dominika Cibulkova |
| 2017 | Caroline Wozniacki |
| 2018 | Elina Svitolina |
| 2019 | Ashleigh Barty |
| 2020 | No competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021 | Garbine Muguruza |
| 2022 | Carolina Gacia |
| 2023 | Iga Swiatek |
| 2024 | Coco Gauff |
Gauff and Iga Swiatek, who were champions in 2024 and 2023, respectively, saw their campaigns come to an end in Saudi Arabia this year in their final round-robin clashes.
Now, four players will hope to hoist the prestigious trophy for the very first time, and Sabalenka will enter the knockout stages as the favourite.
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