In-form Coco Gauff seeks to begin her WTA Finals with success against compatriot Jessica Pegula on Sunday.
Despite an underwhelming Asian swing, last year's runner-up has won three on the trot against the 2023 champion at Flushing Meadows and aims to notch a fourth consecutive win against the 20-year-old.
Match preview
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Gauff's youth has not prevented her from featuring at the year-end event, with the 20-year-old marking a third appearance at the Finals this year following involvement in 2022 and 12 months ago.
Having exited in the round-robin two years back, the American made it to the semi-finals last year before losing to the woman she faces in her tournament opener on Sunday.
She enters the 2024 event in top form after an extended dip throughout the summer that continued into her title defence in New York, leading to her split with Brad Gilbert and the hiring of Matt Daly.
That precipitated success at the WTA 1000 event in Beijing and a run to the semi-final in Wuhan before falling in three sets to Aryna Sabalenka.
The world No. 3 is playing her finest tennis of the season at the business end and possibly since her US Open success a year ago, giving her confidence to end a 0-3 losing streak against Pegula.
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The US Open runner-up and WTA Finals finalist last year is back in the year-end event for a third straight year, keen to avoid a round-robin exit in a group comprising Iga Swiatek, Gauff and Barbora Krejcikova.
Pegula's results since her run to the championship match in New York have been mixed, as evidenced by a round of 16 run in Beijing and defeat to Wang Xiyu in her second outing in Wuhan.
Despite entering her tournament opener with Gauff in underwhelming form, she has won their previous three meetings on the WTA Tour, a statistic that gives her the statistical edge in their overall rivalry.
It remains to be seen if last year's runner-up finds her best tennis in Riyadh, but the six-time tour champion will back herself to better her 4-4 record in the year-end championships and notch success in her sixth meeting against the 20-year-old.
Head To Head
Berlin (2024) - Semi-final: Pegula 7-5 7-6(2)
WTA Finals (2023) - Semi-final: Pegula 6-2 6-1
Montreal (2023) - Quarter-final: Pegula 6-2 5-7 7-5
Eastbourne (2023) - Quarter-final: Gauff 6-3 6-3
Dubai (2022) - Round of 32: Pegula 6-4 6-4
Although they split their first two meetings, Pegula's three consecutive victories give the world No. 6 a 4-1 lead in their head-to-head.
The 2024 US Open finalist's only defeat to Gauff came on grass in Eastbourne last year, but the 30-year-old has secured victories in all three hard-court meetings — Dubai, Montreal and last year's WTA Finals.
Pegula seeks her third top-10 victory this season and 22nd overall, with previous wins this season against Swiatek and Gauff.
The 20-year-old enters the Finals with a 19-27 record against players in that elite group, with her three victories this year against Qinwen Zheng and Ons Jabeur (2).
We say: Gauff to win in two sets
Although Pegula has consistently beaten Gauff in the past, making her a potential favourite, Gauff's superior form coming into the Finals could help her end that losing streak and improve her head-to-head record.
