Coco Gauff stormed back into contention at the WTA Finals by defeating Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2 in a dominant display that eliminated the Italian from the tournament.
After struggling with 17 double faults in her opening loss to Jessica Pegula, Gauff sharpened her serve and reduced errors to just three. She took control early, racing to a 3-0 lead in under 11 minutes. Paolini fought hard to hold serve in a nine-minute fourth game, but Gauff’s aggressive backhand rallies and cross-court winners kept her ahead.
Although Paolini managed a break, Gauff responded immediately and closed the first set 6-3. In the second set, she maintained pressure by pushing Paolini across the baseline. Gauff broke serve twice to lead 5-2 and sealed the match with a powerful serve that Paolini failed to return.
“I knew today’s win was important to keep myself in the tournament. If I lost, I would have been out,” Gauff said. She added, “I thought I served smart… I don’t think Jasmine was a 100% today.”
With this victory, Gauff remains in the hunt for a semifinal spot. Her improved performance highlights her resilience and tactical maturity. Meanwhile, top seed Aryna Sabalenka prepares to face Pegula in another key Group Steffi Graf matchup.
