The all-American clash saw Pegula, seeded fifth, maintain her poise against a faltering Gauff, who was undone by an astonishing 17 double faults despite flashes of power and resilience. Gauff’s second serve crumbled under pressure, twice failing to close out the second set—even after holding a set point at 6-5—before clawing her way back to force a decider. Her serve, which has been a recurring concern throughout the season, again proved costly in the key moments.
Pegula, meanwhile, carried over her impressive late-season form, building on deep runs in Beijing and Wuhan to deliver a measured performance in Riyadh. She handled Gauff’s unpredictable pace with tactical precision, taking the ball early and dictating play from inside the baseline during the final set.
The result gives Pegula a valuable early edge in the Stefanie Graf group, where world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka also opened her campaign with a commanding 6-3, 6-1 win over Italy’s Jasmine Paolini — her 60th victory of the season, marking a personal milestone.
Gauff, the reigning French Open champion and third seed, will now face Paolini in a must-win match to keep her semifinal hopes alive, while Pegula prepares for a highly anticipated clash with Sabalenka, who ousted her at the US Open earlier this year.
In men’s action, Jannik Sinner capped off a brilliant week at the Paris Masters by defeating Félix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6 (4) to capture his first Masters 1000 title of the year and fifth overall. The Italian second seed did not drop a set all week and is set to reclaim the world No. 1 ranking. The season-ending ATP Finals in Turin will now decide whether Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz finishes 2025 as the year-end No. 1.