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On Saturday, Jessica Pegula was the first finalist to emerge at the WTA Finals, in Cancun. The American comprehensively beat her younger compatriot, 6-2, 6-1 after 60 minutes of play. The match featured multiple service breaks, almost all of which came on Gauff’s serve.
The fifth-seeded Pegula faced only two break points across the match and saved one of them. She, however, created 10 break point chances for herself on Gauff’s serve and made away with six of these opportunities. Pegula also had considerable success when it came to winning first-serve points, and on return – across Gauff’s first and second serves.
She won 21 of 27 points on her first serve. On first-serve return, the 29-year-old won 17 of 28 points and on second-serve return, she won 13 of 21 points. For the match, Pegula finished with 56 points. Nine of these were winners.
She was also helped by the 25 unforced errors Gauff hit. Speaking after the match, Pegula said, “I managed to get my act together at the end of the year,” Pegula told reporters afterward. “I’ve done a good job of resetting coming here.
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