Gauff changed her game plan and finally saw a chance to advance, while the Graf group faced complete chaos with no one securing qualification yet.

Following the second round matches in the Graf group at the Riyadh year-end finals, the outcome of the qualifiers entertained everyone; all four players competed fiercely, yet no one secured early advancement from the group.

After Gauff lost her opening group match to her compatriot Pegula, the American’s path to defending her title was immediately clouded. Therefore, the match against the Italian player Paolini became absolutely crucial; a loss would mean she would be the first to be eliminated from this group.

Although Gauff is stronger than Paolini in terms of skill, considering the 17 double faults and as many as 75 unforced errors she made against Pegula in her debut, the American remained the main concern for many.

Especially since Paolini, after losing her first match to Sabalenka, must defeat Gauff to keep her hopes of advancing alive, many believe the Italian will definitely try to capitalize on Gauff’s current unstable form to create a surprise for herself.

Gauff understood what was at stake and Paolini’s determination; from the start of the first set, she overwhelmed Paolini with a 3-0 lead, leaving the Italian no chance. When the American took the first set 6-3, firmly controlling Paolini, supporters watching the live broadcast finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In the first four games of the second set, it seemed Paolini was stepping up her game to challenge Gauff, but when the American increased the ball’s bounce and spin, the shorter Italian quickly fell into a passive position.

Gauff swiftly sealed the match with a 6-2 win in the second set, making Paolini the first player eliminated from the Graf group.

After the match, many praised Gauff, saying it seems when a person is pushed to the edge with no way back, it truly unleashes unlimited potential within them. “Otherwise, how could Gauff have recovered so quickly and adjusted her form so fast?”

In fact, Gauff’s victory over Paolini might have little to do with ‘recovering her senses.’ Although her performance against Pegula was disappointing, it was mainly due to an excessive number of errors.

This time, Gauff’s straight-sets win over Paolini gave the impression of a complete transformation, primarily because she altered her previous game strategy. For example, she stopped chasing serve speed and instead slowed down, choosing the safest angles to maintain a high success rate; also, since she made too many forehand errors in her debut, she relied more on her relatively error-free backhand to counter Paolini.

It can be said that this strategic change was effective, allowing Gauff to finally stop her losing streak in the group and regain hope of advancing.

After Gauff’s straight-sets win over Paolini, before the key match between Sabalenka and Pegula began, Gauff’s supporters amusingly hoped the Belarusian could also win in straight sets against the American rich girl, so that “Gauff could qualify early from the group” and no longer worry about failing to advance.

Unexpectedly, the match between Sabalenka and Pegula was far tougher than many expected. While outsiders predicted the Belarusian would likely win in straight sets, it turned into a three-set battle.

Especially after Sabalenka took the first set 6-4, then Pegula responded with a 6-2 win in the second, the deciding set became highly uncertain. Although the world number one’s powerful style is impressive, the American rich girl’s combination of using her opponent’s strength against her and varied shots posed no problem for Sabalenka.

Though Sabalenka clinched the final set 6-3, this did not guarantee she would qualify early from the group, plunging the Graf group’s qualification situation into complete confusion. Whether Sabalenka, Pegula, or Gauff will advance can only be decided after the last round of group matches.

However, Sabalenka currently holds the best chance among the three to qualify. Fans and netizens have calculated that if Sabalenka wins even one set against Gauff in the upcoming match, she will secure qualification. As for whether Gauff or Pegula will become the second qualifier, the overall outlook favors the American rich girl, mainly because it is quite difficult for Gauff to defeat Sabalenka!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonlight River’s Starry Sky)