Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Finals match.
Aryna Sabalenka wants revenge for the Roland Garros final, where she lost to Coco Gauff, and the American needs only a win to reach the play-offs — and on the hard court in Riyadh she looks ready to repeat the success from Paris.
Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka defended her US Open title this season and won 62 of 73 matches. Against top-5 opponents on hard courts she has also done well — four wins in the last five meetings. At the WTA Finals the Belarusian confidently beat Jasmine Paolini (6:3, 6:1), but against Jessica Pegula (6:4, 2:6, 6:3) it was tougher — three sets and only a one-game margin. Against Coco Gauff she finds it very difficult: 5–6 head-to-head, and she has covered the -4.5 game handicap only once.
Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff won Roland Garros 2025, leads the head-to-head, and on hard courts has taken at least 12 games in seven of eight matches against WTA top-5 players. She is in excellent physical condition, works a lot from the baseline, but at key moments nerves can be an issue — double faults become costly. This was noticeable in the first match at the tournament in Riyadh, where against Jessica Pegula she made 17 doubles, but against Jasmine Paolini there were only three.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Coco Gauff Prediction
Aryna Sabalenka will use power and the forehand to push for revenge, but Gauff is resilient, keeps holding serve, and sustains the tempo. The American should take a set and avoid a heavy defeat.
