(Cancún) American Jessica Pegula converted her seventh match point to defeat world queen Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday at the WTA Finals.
Pegula has won each of the four rounds she has played so far in the preliminary phase, a year after going 0-3 in the season-ending tournament. It is possible that she qualifies for the semi-finals on Tuesday, depending on the result of the other scheduled meeting between Elena Rybakina and Maria Sakkari.
Sabalenka, champion of the Australian Open in January and runner-up at the US Open in September, had won her last four matches against fifth-seeded Pegula in Cancun.
Tuesday, on a temporary hard surface that was criticized by Sabalenka and other players, Pegula was dominant at times. She notably won four games in a row in the first round, as well as the first four games of the second round, winning 16 points out of 19.
Sabalenka, who lost just one game Sunday against Sakkari, committed 17 unforced errors in the first set, compared to eight for Pegula.
The hardest part for Pegula was closing the books.
Serving for the match at 5-2, she earned two match points at 40-15. But Pegula then committed his first double fault of the match… then his second. Moments later, Sabalenka broke her serve.
In the next game, Pegula found himself in control 0-40, with three match points in hand. And once again, Sabalenka saved all three with two backhand and one forehand winners. Pegula wasted a sixth match point by sending a forehand into the net.
Sabalenka, however, seemed to lack energy. She double-faulted, then sent a forehand into the net to give Pegula a seventh match point. Sabalenka then missed a shot by hitting the ball with the frame of her racket, giving victory to her rival.