Jessica Pegula says she knew Coco Gauff would try to force her into making errors but also felt confident she would be able to execute her shots and not allow herself to fall into the reigning French Open champion's trap.
In an all-American battle in Riyadh, it was the elder Pegula who came out on top after sealing a 6-3 6-7 (4) 6-2 win in over two hours of play to kick off her fourth consecutive WTA Finals appearance with a win.
Throughout the entire match, Gauff mightily struggled on her serve. However, it should also be highlighted that Pegula did her best to pressure the world No. 3 on her return as much as possible. In the end, the 21-year-old hit 17 double faults and lost her serve nine times.
In the second set, Pegula's level dropped a little and she lost the set after dropping three consecutive points from 4-4 in the tie-break. However, she didn't allow that to impact her a bit as she came out firing in the deciding set and sealed the win by registering three breaks.
Pegula: Gauff wants to disrupt you... I had to keep that balance between being aggressive and not overplaying
"Cocos entire game is about disrupting youshes so fast and makes you play so many balls. Even in the second set, I felt I had chances. She served really well at times, got free points, but I just wanted to stay focused in the third. I knew what I had to do, and it was about keeping that balance between being aggressive and not overplaying. Its tough because against a great champion like Coco, you have to execute everything perfectly. She makes you earn every point. But I felt confident in my plan and trusted my game. the 31-year-old American explained.
Pegula plays against Aryna Sabalenka in her second WTA Finals group-stage match, while Gauff meets Jasmine Paolini.
