Sabalenka vs Gauff: Riyadh Semi-Final Analysis (WTA Finals)

Gauff barely missed returns and dominated longer exchanges to goad Sabalenka into early-rally errors

Coco Gauff clinched a spot in the championship match at the 2024 WTA Finals by dismantling Aryna Sabalenka’s serve and dominating longer exchanges through a blend of world-class athleticism, court coverage and focus.

The cumulative pressure thrusted upon Sabalenka caged the World #1 into going for too much, too often. As a result, she accumulated 46 unforced errors, 20 more than Gauff (46 to 26) while producing the same number of winners.

1. Gauff’s outstanding return performance

Against Sabalenka’s potent serve, Gauff barely missed returns.

The American wasn’t aced all match, put 43 of 50 (86%) 1st serves back in play and made just 2 2nd serve return errors.

Coco Gauff Returns Made

• vs 1st serves: 43 of 50 (86%)

• vs 2nd serves: 18 of 20 (90%)

The most remarkable stat line of the match came from one of Sabalenka go-to serves: the wide slider on the Deuce court.

Out of 15 Deuce court points started with wide 1st serves, Sabalenka only managed to win 3 and they all finished on forced return errors (marked by purple circle below).

Gauff put the return in play on 12 occasions and she ended up winning every single time!

If Gauff’s returning never wavered throughout the match, she did take it up a notch during two crucial stages of the semi-final.