American Jessica Pegula on Thursday powered into the semi-finals of the season-ending WTA Finals in Cancun, beating Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-2 to complete an unbeaten run through the group stage.
Pegula, the oldest player in the field at 29, had already clinched her spot in today’s semi-finals and Sakkari was already out of contention before the match on the Mexican outdoor hardcourts.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and fourth-ranked Elena Rybakina were fighting to move through as second in the group when their weather disrupted match was halted for the night with Sabalenka leading 6-2, 3-5.
Photo: AFP
The match was to resume after press time last night.
Pegula, who went winless last year in her WTA Finals debut, seized control early, leading 4-1 in the opening set on the way to a dominant victory in difficult, windy conditions.
She took full advantage of 35 unforced errors from Greece’s Sakkari, including eight double faults, Pegula reaching the last four without dropping a set.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Pegula was pleased to keep things rolling in the unfavorable conditions, saying she tried to play to the middle of the court and keep down mistakes.
“It’s so tough to play in these conditions,” she told Tennis Channel. “You’re trying to do your best and as soon as you get some momentum, you still feel like you could lose it.”
“If you just stop moving your feet for one second, you get one unlucky shot. So you’re very on edge,” she said.
“It was crazy out there today,” added Pegula, the first American to reach the final four since Sloane Stephens made the final in Singapore in 2018.
Meanwhile, the WTA has conceded that this year’s edition of the tour Finals was “not a perfect event” and signaled changes to the operation of the circuit after a series of complaints from top players.
In a letter to the players leaked to Sports Illustrated, WTA chief executive officer Steve Simon said that the late selection of Cancun to host the WTA’s showpiece tournament was “based on a number of complicated factors.”
“It is clear you are not happy with the decision to be here in Cancun. I understand that and you have been heard,” he wrote after thanking the players for attending a meeting in Cancun. “It is not a perfect event, we understand the conditions are a challenge and the WTA accepts responsibility for that.”
Cancun was named as venue for the US$9 million tournament less than two months before it started on Sunday.
Sabalenka blasted the WTA over the court conditions after the opening day of group play and said she felt “disrespected” by the standard of organization at the event.
The letter also told the players that a wide range of other issues “that you identified in your letter” would be reviewed.
“A great deal is being done and there is a great deal of alignment in the areas you have raised and what is being worked on,” Simon wrote.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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