US tennis star Coco Gauff has taken a significant step towards advancing her chances of reaching the knockout stages of the WTA Finals with a decisive 6-3, 6-2 victory over struggling Italian Jasmine Paolini.
Paolini's struggles were evident as she was unable to show her best level physically, and Gauff capitalized on this by overcoming a wobble midway through the first set. The young American's performance was described by Sky Sports commentator Laura Robson as "really solid" and "almost her toughest critic at times," suggesting that even Gauff herself may be surprised by how well she played.
The win sets Gauff up for a potentially crucial match against world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka next, with the young American likely to need another victory to give herself a chance of staying in contention. Meanwhile Paolini has been eliminated from the tournament without winning a single set.
In other news from the WTA Finals, Sabalenka secured her second successive win with a hard-fought 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 victory over fellow group leader Jessica Pegula. The Belarusian world No 1 was described by commentator Tim Henman as having played in one of the "best matches of the tournament" with brilliant ball-striking.
In other ATP action, Novak Djokovic has progressed to the quarter-finals at the Hellenic Championship in Athens, overcoming Alejandro Tabilo for the first time. The Serbian top seed served 13 aces and faced just one break point en route to a convincing 7-6 (3) 6-1 victory.
Meanwhile Cameron Norrie has also made it into the quarter-finals of the Moselle Open with a thrilling three-set win over Arthur Cazaux.
Paolini's struggles were evident as she was unable to show her best level physically, and Gauff capitalized on this by overcoming a wobble midway through the first set. The young American's performance was described by Sky Sports commentator Laura Robson as "really solid" and "almost her toughest critic at times," suggesting that even Gauff herself may be surprised by how well she played.
The win sets Gauff up for a potentially crucial match against world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka next, with the young American likely to need another victory to give herself a chance of staying in contention. Meanwhile Paolini has been eliminated from the tournament without winning a single set.
In other news from the WTA Finals, Sabalenka secured her second successive win with a hard-fought 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 victory over fellow group leader Jessica Pegula. The Belarusian world No 1 was described by commentator Tim Henman as having played in one of the "best matches of the tournament" with brilliant ball-striking.
In other ATP action, Novak Djokovic has progressed to the quarter-finals at the Hellenic Championship in Athens, overcoming Alejandro Tabilo for the first time. The Serbian top seed served 13 aces and faced just one break point en route to a convincing 7-6 (3) 6-1 victory.
Meanwhile Cameron Norrie has also made it into the quarter-finals of the Moselle Open with a thrilling three-set win over Arthur Cazaux.
, and I think she's really gonna give Aryna Sabalenka a run for her money. That Paolini girl was getting destroyed out there, but at least Coco played solid tennis and didn't get too nervous when things got tough. Now it's down to the final few matches, and if Coco can take it one by one, she might just make some noise in this tournament! 
she's been on fire this tournament and that win against Paolini was huge. Sabalenka's gonna be tough to beat though, they've got a legit rivalry going on. 
Novak Djokovic is looking strong too, 13 aces in one match? 
the man's still got it! 
but I gotta say, Cameron Norrie's win over Cazaux was insane! 
those matches are what make tennis so exciting
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans - so just let things happen and go with the flow, ya know? 
and Coco Gauff is like my ultimate idol 
she's so young but already playing at this level its insane... idk what's up with Paolini tho, she looked really out of her league 
Sabalenka though seems like a total beast on the court 
and Djokovic is always so cool i love how he just dominates on the court 
now let's see if she can take down that tough aryna sabalenka match 
! She's really stepping up her game and proving herself as a top player in the tennis world. The way she handled that tough spot in the first set was pure clutch 
the fact that she had to wobble in the first set but still came out on top shows just how much improvement she's made since last year...now it's gonna be super tough for her against sabalenka, fingers crossed for coco though 
i'm thinking coco should be able to take down aryana sabalenka though, they've been playing each other a lot lately and sabalenka's always giving gauff a run for her money 
btw has anyone seen coco's outfit? it was SO stylish 
And Paolini's exit from the tournament is no surprise, she just couldn't get anything going. Interesting to see how Gauff adapts to playing against such a strong opponent in Sabalenka! 
. That shows a lot of grit and mental strength, which are skills that will serve her well not just on the court, but in life too 
Can't wait to see how she handles the pressure. And Paolini, poor thing 
didn't stand a chance against Gauff's solid game. Norrie and Djokovic are also doing well, but let's keep it real, Coco's where it's at right now 
