The WTA Finals in Riyadh is getting incredibly intense. As the top 8 of the world came in to fight it out against each other for the ultimate supremacy, things are now down to the last four berths. Now, among the four semifinalists, two berths are already being confirmed. And as for the final two, the competition is turning quite cut throat. A simple statistics will increase the intrigue significantly.

According to the math, there are still 16 possible outcomes as to which two stars will clinch the remaining semifinal berth. Interestingly, to make matters even more complicated, Jessica Pegula has put both Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff in a tricky situation. 

When the tournament started, it was believed that the likes of Gauff and Sabalenka would definitely go through to the last four. However, as Sabalenka and Gauff will face off for a repeat of their Roland Garros final, the other game, where Jessica Pegula will be taking on Jasmine Paolini, has made things difficult for Gauff.

Now, to simplify things, if Pegula lost to Paolini in straight sets, both Gauff and Sabalenka would have advanced to the semis. Unfortunately for Gauff, Pegula is leading the already eliminated Paolini 6-2. But that is now practically impossible, which means that Sabalenka vs. Gauff will be of utmost importance. 

Another scenario for Gauff would be if Gauff defeats Sabalenka in three sets but Pegula clinches a straight set victory. This will make the equation come down to the game percentage. And as of now, if things do come down to that, things are not at all looking great for Gauff. She will most certainly rank third as both Pegula and Sabalenka will go through. Unless of course, the French Open champion makes some incredible improvements in her game percentage against Sabalenka.

Thus, the best-case scenario for Gauff is to try and finish off Sabalenka under two sets. This will be the third time the two stalwarts will be facing off this year. At the Madrid Open, it was Sabalenka who defeated the American, while Gauff had the last laugh in the French Open. Meanwhile, with a daunting task on her hands, Gauff did look quite confident with her impeccable serving against Jasmine Paolini. 

How Coco Gauff finally fixed the flaw that cost her the match against Pegula

On November 2, Gauff lost the match to Pegula after a 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 2-6 run in the WTA Finals. And what played a major role behind her setback against her fellow American rival was her poor serving technique. But following the loss in the group stage match on Sunday, Coco Gauff did not take too long to buckle up and improve on what was holding her back from victory.

On Tuesday, November 4, Gauff faced Italian star Jasmine Paolini, and she made sure to improve her serve against the 29-year-old athlete. And this time, the reigning French Open champ secured a 6-3, 6-2 win against Paolini. In the previous match against Pegula, Gauff was struggling to leave her mark on the court as she committed 17 double faults. And just two days after the match, she dragged that down to just three faults against Paolini. And Gauff expressed her happiness at how she overcame the issue she was facing.

Gauff added, “I’m really happy with how I played today, definitely a turnaround from my first match… I think only three doubles today compared to 17 – that’s a big difference.” The American further added, “I think it just shows that I have the ability to serve like this and it definitely gives me confidence. I think I was on the trajectory in China serving great and I think maybe trying to serve a little bit too hard in that match against Jess.” However, now with Pegula again securing her win against Paolini, Gauff will look to win against Sabalenka in a straight set to hold on to her berth in the WTA Finals.