Defending champion Coco Gauff walked into her WTA Finals opener armed with momentum and confidence (especially after tasting success at the Wuhan Open final against the same opponent). But Jessica Pegula carried something stronger. It didn’t take long for Gauff to realize the pattern was stacked against her. Predictable shots, predictable patterns, predictable outcomes. Post-match, Gauff made no excuses, pinpointing the flaw that turned the duel into a decoding exercise for her close friend-turned-foe.

This was their seventh meeting and second of the season. Pegula, calm as ever, dismantled Gauff’s rhythm, turning rallies into puzzles and exposing patterns that Gauff herself would later admit became her undoing. Their partnership, usually a superpower, became the key that unlocked Gauff’s weaknesses. For once, familiarity did not breed comfort. It bred trouble. So, after the 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 defeat, Gauff didn’t hide. She didn’t sugarcoat. Instead, she faced the truth head-on, a trait that has defined her maturity this season.

Before the match, Gauff stated that this match would be a bit “tricky” since they have recently played against each other in Wuhan and they know what to expect from each other’s game. She also added, “It’s one of those matches where you have your game plan, but you have to be able to adjust because she might know my game plan already.” Guess what? Her major worry might just have come true. Because after the match, while analyzing her WTA Finals defeat, she said, “Obviously, a little frustrated with the serve today. Overall, it was a tough match for me. Jess played well, and I thought she was playing a bit smarter than she was when we played in Wuhan.”

This was Jessica Pegula’s 25th win over a top-10 opponent and her 52nd overall win this season. The 2023 WTA Finals runner-up looks determined, and she’ll now face the world number one, Aryna Sabalenka, in the next match. But before shifting our focus to the upcoming battles, let’s take a look at what she said about Coco Gauff after the match.

Jessica Pegula heaps praise on Coco Gauff after the match

The lights at the WTA Finals burned brighter than ever, but on a night Coco Gauff had hoped to showcase her growth, the weight of expectation pressed harder than the tennis balls she sent into the net. Serving once again became her battleground. Double faults crept in like unwelcomed ghosts, halting momentum, feeding frustration, and forcing her to fight not just her opponent but also her own execution.

Inside the arena, murmurs followed every missed first serve. She committed a total of 17 double faults and 45 forehand unforced errors in that match. Not only that, Gauff faced 18 break points and got broken 9 times. Fans who have watched the evolution of the young American could sense her struggle; every service toss felt like a test, every follow-through like a plea for rhythm. 

After securing her first victory at the WTA Finals since beating Coco Gauff in the 2023 semi-finals, Jessica Pegula said, “Coco’s entire game is about disrupting you—she’s so fast and makes you play so many balls. Even in the second set, I felt I had chances. She served really well at times, got free points, but I just wanted to stay focused in the third. I knew what I had to do, and it was about keeping that balance between being aggressive and not overplaying.”

Pegula executed her game plan with the calm professionalism of a player who has learned to ride waves, not fight them. She absorbed pace, redirected balls, and punished anything short. After the match, during her interview with Tennis Channel, she further added, “It’s tough because against a great champion like Coco, you have to execute everything perfectly. She makes you earn every point.”

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According to her co-coach Mark Knowles, Jessica Pegula is currently playing the best tennis of her career at the age of 31. Currently ranked fifth in the world, Pegula has already won three titles this season, and this was her fourth consecutive year-end Top 10 finish. According to Knowles, “I’ve been around a lot of great champions, a lot of great players. She’s a bit of a savage; I mean, she’s an incredible competitor. She’s very honest with herself. She’s not afraid to back down from any challenge. Pretty amazing.”

Jessica Pegula outsmarted Coco Gauff in the previous match, but can she do the same against Aryna Sabalenka? Time will tell! On the other side, Gauff will next face Jasmine Paolini in her second group stage match. Do you think she can get back to winning ways this time?