Riyadh | Gauff's spectacular upset win against Swiatek came shortly after Krejcikova had knocked Pegula out.

On Tuesday in the Orange Group, two surprise results had an unexpected ripple-through, as Coco Gauff and Barbora Krejcikova made history against Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula respectively. “I feel great! Going into it despite our head to head meeting I had confidence.” “This victory makes my day. I felt as if I was playing incredible tennis. Even when my play became somewhat disorganized, the games would still go to deuce, giving me confidence that if I remained solid throughout a match it could end in my favor. Krejcikova, Czech Wimbledon Champion and Top Seed in Singles. Coco Gauff made history on Day 4, starting her day by outlasting Pegula 6-1 6-1 to stay alive for semi-final knock-out round consideration while Gauff scored an unexpected upset victory against Swiatek; her victory broke Swiatek’s six match winning streak at Finals (since 2023 Cincinnati Open Open Open Tournament ). “Playing Iga can be challenging, so it was great seeing how well I played through the match,” Gauff stated. “And yes, the crowd environment was fun – so glad I managed to come through today!” Krejcikova expressed her delight with having finally won her debut match at the WTA Finals after months of hard work, “especially given how tough today’s match was and all its unpredictable turns and shifts in momentum; ultimately I am extremely content with its result. ” “It feels great; going into it I had great confidence, regardless of our head to head record. Even when playing poorly I still made deuces.” “They gave me confidence, as they gave me assurance that if I remained solid I’d have an opportunity to close out the match. In the first set I faced three consecutive break points without relent. Instead of being disheartened by them though I kept working away knowing eventually it would pay off and closing out my match would become possible.” “Even in my last game I missed two forehand returns into the net but told myself: ‘Don’t worry I’ll get them next time’; which I eventually did.” Gauff’s service issues flared back up as she committed nine double-faults after only 2 in the opening set and allowed two breaks slip, before recovering both times with strong service holds that put her on the brink of victory.” As this meant that Swiatek cannot move up from No 2 this week; Aryna Sabalenka will end 2018 as World No 1. “Well, clearly I wasn’t solid enough and Coco used her opportunities far better than me,” Swiatek acknowledged afterward. He went on to admit having some break points that went by without his winning them; as well as making more unforced errors than usual – essential qualities when competing against Coco. Even though our head-to-head was more positive for me, winning against her can still be challenging. Today she was certainly superior and I need to adjust better in future matches; tomorrow will provide plenty of practice time so as to become better player.” Jessica Pegula was eliminated from contention following two losses to Iga Swiatek and faces her in her final match on Thursday (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images). Gauff finished the night with 10 winners against 33 unforced errors while Swiatek far outpaced Gauff with 15 winners but 46 unforced errors. “I think I managed not to allow doubles to take their toll, even though they were present,” Gauff stated. “In Wuhan I felt as if it made matters worse; here, however, I tried not allowing this behavior.” “I am in the midst of making changes, which means it may go up or down, but overall it appears to be moving in the right direction – like you mentioned, the first set with no break point which doesn’t happen much against her generally – so yes, definitely in the right direction,” she concluded. Even when my serving wasn’t stellar, I still managed to remain in the match, giving me confidence for future matches. Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek both made use of new coaches at the WTA Finals Riyadh (c) Matthew Stockman/Getty Images for WTA; Gauff finished her night with 10 winners to 33 unforced errors while Swiatek edged ahead with 15 victories, yet made 47 unforced errors. “I feel I wasn’t giving in to doubles pressure even though it was there,” Gauff explained. “In Wuhan I felt as if it was making things worse; here in India I wasn’t giving in and trying not to allow that process to occur again. “I’m still making adjustments, so things may change from match to match, but overall they feel positive. For instance, in the first set without break point against her at all was encouraging and gave me confidence for future encounters.” “So yeah, definitely heading in the right direction – even though my service may have not been great at times during a match! So overall yes.”