Entering Thursday, three players—Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka—saw a host of scenarios in front of them that would put them through to the two sermifinal spots at the WTA Finals out of the Stefanie Graf Group.
By the end of the day’s play, the path forward was ultimately simple for Sabalenka and Pegula.
The world No. 1 turned a 5-3 first-set deficit into a 7-6(5), 6-2 win against Gauff, eliminating the defending champion from semifinal contention in the process.
Pegula previously secured a 6-2, 6-3 win over the already-eliminated Jasmine Paolini, and the combination of results put Sabalenka through as group winner with a 3-0 record, and Pegula in second at 2-1.
Sabalenka will face Amanda Anisimova in one semifinal, while Pegula will face Elena Rybakina in the other.
