Jessica Pegula, an American, advanced undefeated through the group round of the season-ending WTA Finals in Cancun on Thursday, defeating Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-2.
Before the match on the outdoor hardcourts in Mexico, Sakkari was already out from the running, while Pegula, who is the oldest player in the competition at 29, had already secured her position in the semi-finals on Saturday.
In challenging, windy circumstances, Pegula, who lost her first WTA Finals match last year, took early control, leading 4-1 in the second set and going on to win decisively.
Sakkari of Greece committed 35 unforced mistakes, including eight double faults, which Pegula fully capitalized on to reach the last four without losing a set.
Pegula said she aimed to play to the center of the court and limit errors, and she was happy to keep things going despite the challenging circumstances.
She told Tennis Channel, “Playing in these conditions is so difficult.” Even though you’re making an effort, you worry that you could falter as soon as you get traction.
You get one unfortunate shot if you just stop moving your feet for a single second. You seem quite tense.
“The weather was insane today,” she said.
Pegula advanced quickly through her group of matches, upsetting world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a match that came down to a match between her and fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina for the second semi-final spot from the group.
When the two played each other in the Australian Open final in January, Sabalenka won her maiden major championship in three sets.
Before the 24-year-old Kazakh player won two consecutive matches in the Indian Wells final in March and the Beijing quarterfinals, she had lifted Rybakina’s career record to 4-0.
Not only is Sabalenka vying for the coveted crown, but she is also among the competitors who have voiced dissatisfaction with the state of the court during this week’s competition.
She also wants to be the number one seed at the conclusion of the year, a position that may still be held by Iga Swiatek, the current French Open winner from Poland.