Krejcikova beats Gauff to secure the final spot in the semi-finals of the WTA Finals

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova came to the WTA finals in Riyadh looking for her first career victory in the season-ending tournament. She took things a step further on Thursday, pulling off a must-win showdown against No. 3 Coco Gauff 7-5, 6-4 to top the Orange group and advance to the semifinals of the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF.

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How Krejcikova won the group: At the beginning of the last group game day, Gauff had secured her place in the semi-finals of the WTA Finals for the second time in a row with a 2-0 record in the Orange Group. That left No. 2 Iga Swiatek and Krejcikova vying for the last available spot, with Krejcikova's only path to the semifinals requiring a win over Gauff.

After Swiatek's dominant win over Daria Kasatkina earlier in the day, Krejcikova's win left the Orange group tied at three, with Krejcikova, Swiatek and Gauff each finishing with a 2-1 record. In such cases, the second tiebreaker – the percentage of sets won – determines placement. Krejcikova led the group with a sets record of 5-2 (71.4%), followed by Gauff at 4-2 (66.7%) and Swiatek at 4-3 (57.1%).

As a result, Krejcikova won the group, with Gauff finishing second and knocking out last year's champion Iga Swiatek.

Krejcikova will next face Purple Group qualifier No. 2 Zheng Qinwen, while Gauff will face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

How the game was won: Krejcikova entered the game with a 1-0 record against the American, was the first to use her flat shot and kept Gauff on the defensive in the opening set. Needing two chances to serve the set, Krejcikova saved four break points in the final game to take an early lead 7-5. It was a stunning performance from the eighth seed Czech, who managed two breaks from three break point chances while also saving five of the six break points she faced with her own serve.

After scoring nine aces in the first set, Gauff rolled through her service games in the second set without incident. But throughout the game, the 20-year-old struggled to score effective break points. She had two break chances early in the second set, only to mishandle her returns.

With serve at 4-4, 30-30, Gauff committed her fourth double fault of the game, giving Krejcikova the first impetus for a break in the set. It was the only chance the Czech needed as she took the lead with a clean backhand and secured the win.

More to come…