Coco Gauff kept her semifinal hopes alive with a dominant win over Jasmine Paolini in Riyadh.
When Gauff lost to Jessica Pegula in her WTA Finals opener, it became clear she’d need to find another level if she wanted to advance to the last four.
Doing just that, Gauff defeated Paolini 6-3, 6-2, to move to 1-1 in ‘Group Steffi Graf’.
The American will now play world number one Aryna Sabalenka in her final group stage match, knowing a win could be enough for her to secure a semifinal place.
However, while things are starting to look up for Gauff, they aren’t going too great for Paolini.
Now 0-2 in singles and 1-1 in doubles, the Italian is having a torrid time in the Middle East, as Gauff shared a message of support to the two-time Grand Slam finalist after their match.
Coco Gauff sends Jasmine Paolini ‘well wishes’ and notes she wasn’t 100%
During her on-court interview, Gauff had this to say about her Italian opponent.
“I don’t think Jasmine [Paolini] was 100% today, so I would like to give her well wishes for her next matches today,” she said.
“Playing singles and doubles is not easy.”
Jasmine Paolini at the 2025 WTA Finals
- Saturday, November 1 [WIN] vs Asia Muhammad/Demi Schuurs
- Sunday, November 2 [LOSS] vs Aryna Sabalenka
- Monday, November 3 [LOSS] vs Jelena Ostapenko/Hsieh Su-Wei
- Tuesday, November 4 [LOSS] vs Coco Gauff
Gauff also commented on her own performance, which was markedly better than what she produced in her opener.
“I am really happy with how I played today, definitely a turnaround from my first match. But it’s the beauty of this tournament, you have another chance to prove yourself,” she said.
“Hopefully, I can do well in my next one to give myself a chance to stay in this tournament.”
Gauff was pleased to avoid a repeat of 2022, where she lost all three of her group stage matches.
“I was just trying to play relaxed. I played a WTA Finals where I lost all three matches, so I was determined not to make a repeat of that,” she said.
“I knew today’s one was important to keep myself in the tournament; if I lost, I would have been out.”
The American was then asked what impressed her the most about her dominant win over Paolini.
“Definitely the serve,” said Gauff.
“I thought I served smart. Then return, everything.”
Gauff produced one of the best serving performances of her season against Paolini to keep her title defence alive.
| Player | Aces | Double faults | 1st Serve % | Win % on 1st Serve | Win % on 2nd Serve |
| Coco Gauff | 0 | 3 | 60% | 67% | 92% |
| Jasmine Paolini | 0 | 0 | 69% | 64% | 25% |
She’ll no doubt hope to keep those numbers up when she takes on four-time Grand Slam champion, Sabalenka, in her next match.
Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka’s head-to-head record
Gauff and Sabalenka have developed one of the most exciting rivalries on the WTA Tour over recent years.
The pair have met 11 times in total, as Gauff leads their head-to-head, 6-5.
| Match | Surface | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2025 French Open – F | Clay | Coco Gauff | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 |
| 2025 Madrid Open – F | Clay | Aryna Sabalenka | Coco Gauff | 6-3, 7-6 |
| 2024 WTA Finals – SF | Hard | Coco Gauff | Aryna Sabalenka | 7-6, 6-3 |
| 2024 Wuhan – SF | Hard | Aryna Sabalenka | Coco Gauff | 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2024 Australian Open – SF | Hard | Aryna Sabalenka | Coco Gauff | 7-6, 6-4 |
| 2023 US Open – F | Hard | Coco Gauff | Aryna Sabalenka | 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2023 Indian Wells – QF | Hard | Aryna Sabalenka | Coco Gauff | 6-4, 6-0 |
| 2022 Toronto – 3R | Hard | Coco Gauff | Aryna Sabalenka | 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 |
| 2021 Rome – 3R | Clay | Coco Gauff | Aryna Sabalenka | 7-5, 6-3 |
| 2020 Ostrava – 2R | Hard | Aryna Sabalenka | Coco Gauff | 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 |
| 2020 Lexington – 2R | Hard | Coco Gauff | Aryna Sabalenka | 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 |
It was Gauff who won their most recent encounter, defeating Sabalenka in the final of the French Open to pick up her second major title.
Only time will tell if Gauff can extend her winning record over the Belarusian when they meet for a 12th time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Gauff and Sabalenka will face off in the group stages of the 2025 WTA Finals on Thursday, November 6.
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