Aryna Sabalenka fell at the semi-final stage of the WTA Finals for the second consecutive season.
Sabalenka had her best year to date on the WTA Tour winning her second and third Grand Slam titles as well as regaining the world number one ranking from her rival Iga Swiatek.
Sabalenka won the Australian Open earlier this year beating Qinwen Zheng in the final, defending the title she won in 2023.
After falling at the quarter-final stage of the French Open, Sabalenka bounced back to win the US Open, taking down Jessica Pegula in straight sets to win her first title in New York.
Sabalenka’s excellent performances at Grand Slam level in 2024 saw her comfortably qualify for the WTA Finals as world number one.
The Belarussian breezed through her group with wins over Zheng and Jasmine Paolini, before Sabalenka lost focus in defeat to Elena Rybakina, after she had already qualified for the semi-finals.
Sabalenka lost her second consecutive game as she was dumped out of the tournament by Coco Gauff in the semi-finals, but one tennis legend was happy with her game despite the defeat.
Tim Henman likes that Aryna Sabalenka stuck to her gameplan despite WTA Finals exit
Speaking to Sky Sports after Sabalenka’s straight set defeat to Gauff at the WTA Finals, Tim Henman said that he was happy that the 26-year-old stuck to her tennis during the match.
“In some respects I quite like it,” he said.
“She is living by the sword or dying by the sword.
“She is playing the tennis that she wants to play and that is hitting big serves and big forehands.
“The vast majority of times throughout the year she backs herself to make those shots and she does make those shots, that’s why she has won Grand Slams and finished the year number one.”
The former British number one went on to explain why her gameplan came up short against Gauff.
“But in these types of conditions, where the ball is flying, it’s a lot harder to control and the unforced error count did prove costly because Gauff is able to use her athletic ability to stay in rallies and ask her opponent to hit one more shot,” said Henman.
Does Coco Gauff now have the edge over Aryna Sabalenka?
Gauff and Sabalenka are two of the top three stars on the WTA Tour, and the pair have now faced off against one another nine times.
With Gauff’s triumph in Saudi Arabia she now leads the head-to-head 5-4, after losing the previous two encounters against the Belarussian.
Sabalenka and Gauff’s most recent encounter in Wuhan, was a tough watch for fans of the American as she double faulted a WTA season leading 21 times.
Her serving was a lot more controlled in Riyadh however, double-faulting just twice on her way to victory, booking her spot in the final.
It remains to be seen how Sabalenka and Gauff’s head-to-head will develop over the coming years, but if the 20-year-old can continue to play like she did today, then the Belarussian could be in real trouble.
Gauff will return to action for the WTA Finals championship match against Qinwen Zheng on Saturday.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
