Coco Gauff keeps WTA Finals title defence alive after powering past Jasmine Paolini in Riyadh

American back on track following opening loss to Pegula with clinical display

Defending champion Coco Gauff defeated Jasmine Paolini in straight sets. Reuters

Coco Gauff claimed a much-needed 6-3, 6-2 victory over Jasmine Paolini to keep her WTA Finals title defence alive in Riyadh on Tuesday.

The American third seed had lost her opener two days prior to Jessica Pegula but was far more clinical against Paolini, whose second singles defeat of the week means she has no chance of advancing to the semi-finals.

“I'm really happy with how I played today, definitely a turnaround from my first match,” said Gauff, who posted her 10th top-10 win of the season.

Against Pegula on Sunday, Gauff struggled with her serve, committing 17 double faults and winning just 28 per cent of the points behind her second delivery.

Her performance in the first set of her second match was already a significant improvement, as she won nine of 11 points on her second serve, misfiring just twice for two double faults.

The 21-year-old leapt to a 3-0 lead and despite Paolini's attempted comeback, was able to reclaim her advantage to take the opening set in 40 minutes.

The second set was a straightforward affair as Gauff notched two breaks of serve en route to her second win in five meetings with the Italian this season.

“I was just trying to play relaxed. I've played a WTA Finals where I lost all three of my matches [in 2022]. So I tried to avoid that today,” said the two-time Grand Slam champion.

“I thought I served smart. I don't think Jasmine was 100 per cent today and I would like to wish her well. Playing singles and doubles here is not easy.”

In other Stefanie Graf Group action, world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka will take on fifth-seeded Jessica Pegula later in the day. A straight-sets victory for the top seed would guarantee her a place in Friday's semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic has confirmed his participation at the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy's tennis federation chief Angelo Binaghi said, easing concerns that the 24-time Grand Slam champion may pull out of the season finale.

World No 5 Djokovic, who withdrew from the season ender last year due to injury, skipped the Paris Masters and has not played since losing to qualifier Valentin Vacherot in the Shanghai Masters semi-finals last month.

“We have confirmation that Djokovic will be in Turin,” Binaghi told Italian radio channel Rai Gr Parlamento on Monday.

The November 9-16 ATP finals feature the world's top eight players, with Djokovic having won the tournament a record seven times and last lifting the trophy in 2023.

The 38-year-old Serb's participation leaves just one qualifying slot open, with ninth-ranked Italian Lorenzo Musetti and eighth-ranked Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in contention.

Auger-Aliassime, who reached the Paris Masters final last week, withdrew from the Moselle Open in Metz on Monday, meaning Musetti could seal the last spot if he wins this week's ATP 250 tournament in Athens.