Jessica Pegula acknowledged the quality and drama of her rivalry with Aryna Sabalenka after a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 loss at the WTA Finals on Tuesday. The result continued a recent pattern: Sabalenka has beaten Pegula on the way to a pair of Grand Slam titles and two WTA 1000 crowns since last season began, and Pegula has now lost nine of 12 matches against her opponent.

The two said they bring out high-level tennis in each other, but Pegula again lamented falling just short, this time after being a break up in the final set. The last three meetings between them have all played out over three sets.

On the rivalry and its place in her career, Pegula said: “I do think we have really great matches, memorable matches,” she said. “I wish I won more of them … even my coaches were saying, they’re like, ‘Whenever you guys play each other, it seems like you guys seem to bring out such a high level in each other.’

“So, I feel like, do I love losing? No. But I feel like, if you asked me in 10 years, like I look back and had all these super memorable matches with her. I think it’s, it’s pretty cool. I just wish I won more of them.”

Describing Sabalenka’s intensity, Pegula added: “I felt like she just got really angry and played really well, which tends to be what she does,” Pegula continued. “I feel like when she starts getting really hyped up and yelling, ‘Come on,’ and screaming … that’s kind of when you’ve activated another level to her. So I can either go one of two ways, and I felt like it just kind of went against me today, and she played well.”

Despite the setback, Pegula remains alive in the group. With a 1-1 record, she can reach the semifinals if she defeats Jasmine Paolini, who was eliminated from knockout contention after losing to Coco Gauff in straight sets in the other Stefanie Graf Group match on Tuesday, and if Sabalenka beats Gauff to bolster Pegula’s chances.

Looking ahead, Pegula said: “I think obviously it’s going to be a bit mental knowing that I need to win the match in order to move forward in this in this event,” Pegula said. “But at the same time, a lot of you know tactical stuff [is important] in order to kind of see what I can do differently from the last time that I played her. ]”

A Wimbledon final rematch and a decisive group match will settle the second semifinal spot from the Serena Williams Group on Day 5.

Head to Head: Tied 3-3 (1-1 in 2025)

Elena Rybakina arrives having already clinched a semifinal berth after a comeback victory over Iga Swiatek on Day 3. After losing the first set, Rybakina won 12 of the next 13 games in a reversal that snapped a four-match losing streak to Swiatek and secured her path to the knockout round. That result, combined with Madison Keys’ loss to Amanda Anisimova, means the Rybakina-Keys match will be played largely for pride.

Keys had been in control on Day 3, holding a set and a break lead over Anisimova before dropping 12 of the next 15 games. The loss eliminated Keys and sent Rybakina into the semifinals. Rybakina enters this match on a hot run — eight straight match wins — and will look to maintain momentum. Keys will aim to finish a season that began with her first Grand Slam title in Australia on a more positive note.

Head to Head: Tied 1-1 (1-1 in 2025)

Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova meet in a winner-take-all contest. Both are 1-1 in group play, with a semifinal spot at stake. Swiatek limps into the match after a puzzling three-set collapse against Rybakina in which she committed 36 unforced errors over the last two sets. Anisimova brings confidence after rallying from a set down to defeat Keys.

The two have split their pair of high-stakes meetings earlier this year: Swiatek delivered a double-bagel in the Wimbledon final, while Anisimova won in straight sets in the US Open semifinals. Riyadh is the rubber match.

Schedule
(1) S. Errani / J. Paolini vs. (4) V. Kudermetova / E. Mertens — Start: 3:00 PM local (7:00 AM ET)
(6) Elena Rybakina vs. (7) Madison Keys — Not before: 5:00 PM local (9:00 AM ET)
(2) Iga Swiatek vs. (4) Amanda Anisimova — Not before: 6:30 PM local (10:30 AM ET)

Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the semifinals after a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Jessica Pegula in a Riyadh round-robin match that lasted two hours and three minutes.

“She pushed me, and I love it,” Aryna Sabalenka said after beating Jessica Pegula 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in their Riyadh round-robin match on Tuesday.

The result added another chapter to a one-sided overall rivalry: Sabalenka has won nine of their 12 meetings, seven of those in straight sets. Still, recent encounters have tightened. At the US Open, Pegula won a set for the first time in two years before Sabalenka prevailed 6-4 in the third. In Wuhan, Pegula ended a four-match skid against Sabalenka by winning a third-set tiebreak.

Both arrived in form. Pegula had beaten Coco Gauff and Sabalenka had beaten Jasmine Paolini in earlier matches in Riyadh. On Tuesday, Sabalenka captured the opening set by forcing errors and dictating enough points. Pegula answered in the second by stepping in, counter-punching and coming to the net.

“In the second set, she just stepped in and played incredible tennis,” Sabalenka said. “In the third set I was just thinking, ‘I’m gonna go after my shots. I’m gonna try to stay even more aggressive. Put that speed back with her and hope that I’ll get my chance.’”

Pegula threatened to take control early in the final set, breaking for 2-1 and appearing to move toward a 3-1 lead. Sabalenka reversed course with a series of aggressive returns, a forehand passing shot and decisive groundstrokes that produced multiple breaks and a run to 5-2 before sealing the win with a forehand winner.

“You know what,” Sabalenka said to herself, ‘I have nothing else to do, I’m just going as hard as I can, and heavy as I can, down the lines.”

Statistically the match was noisy: Sabalenka hit only two more winners than Pegula and made 19 more unforced errors, but she forced Pegula into 36 errors to 19. With a 2-0 record in the round-robin, Sabalenka has moved into the semifinals. For all her success, she has never won the WTA Finals and has reached the title match just once; this is the first season she has been No. 1 for the majority of the year.