PREVIEW | 2023 WTA Finals SEMI-FINALS: Doubles partners collide as GAUFF faces PEGULA, SWIATEK faces SABALENKA in potential World No.1 decider

The semi-finals are set at the WTA Finals in Cancun and will take place on Saturday evening with two intriguing battles and four of the best in the world left to do battle for the title.

Our preview looks ahead to the two WTA Finals ties which will take place on Saturday night, with stories in both, and in particular in one, there are World No.1 repercussions.

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Match one - Jessica Pegula v Coco Gauff (begins around 23 CET)

The opening semi-final sees Jessica Pegula face off against Coco Gauff which pits the top two Americans against each other. But a pairing that have been together already this week multiple times on the doubles court.

Pegula and Gauff always struggle to face each other due to their friendship and doubles partnership, but both are now entrenched at the top of the sport so their meetings will now become more frequent.

The elder American has been the real star of this week in Cancun. She has not dropped a set in easing past Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka and Maria Sakkari.

After going 0-3 last year, she is 3-0 and alongside Iga Swiatek is the leading player stats wise still involved.

Gauff on the other hand has had to really scrap and battle barring against Ons Jabeur. She lost to Iga Swiatek with relative ease and in the group stage decider, she went a set down against Marketa Vondrousova before showing her true fighting spirit to pull it back and move through.

Head to Head wise, it is 2-1 to Pegula with the Buffalo native winning in Dubai last year and on the same surface in the Quarter-Finals en route to winning Montreal. Her only defeat came emphatically in Eastbourne when Gauff went on to lift the title.

A match that many feared as one that Gauff would lose due to their doubles partnership and their previous Dubai meeting, she proved the status quo wrong and will look to do that again this evening.

The irony is too is that they will also play doubles this evening with their match to seal a spot in the semi-finals suspended last night.

Prediction: Pegula in two sets

We Are Tennis

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Cancun WTA Finals last 4 is set ✨ Pegula vs Gauff Sabalenka vs Swiatek Who reaches the final?

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Match two - Iga Swiatek v Aryna Sabalenka (set for 00:30 CET)

The second match is perhaps the biggest of all, but due to future repercussions for the World No.1 ranking.

If Sabalenka reaches the final, she will lock up the year end World No.1 spot. If Sabalenka is eliminated before the final, all Swiatek has to do is win the title against either Gauff or Pegula.

So this is a match that will decide it barring if Swiatek would lose the final. Like Pegula, Swiatek has been imperious and barring in her opening set against Marketa Vondrousova has barely been troubled.

Her latest win came against Ons Jabeur 6-1, 6-2 who barring avenging her loss to Marketa Vondrousova at Wimbledon has been poor all week. But truth betold, Sabalenka has not been great and so Swiatek could spot a chance.

Sabalenka thrashed Maria Sakkari in a one sided beatdown on Sunday night, but then lost to Jessica Pegula and was taken three sets in a rain delayed match against Elena Rybakina to conclude her group campaign.

Head to Head slightly points towards Swiatek too and all have come in big matches. The last victor though was Sabalenka who won in the Madrid final and interestingly defeated Swiatek in the semi-finals last year before falling to Caroline Garcia.

Both are now different players. Sabalenka is a Grand Slam champion and World No.1, while Swiatek now has the pressure off but is still sealing titles. This makes for an interesting complexion and like the opening match, it is tough to call.

Prediction: Swiatek in three sets

The Tennis Letter

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Swiatek & Sabalenka will face each other in the WTA Finals semifinal. When Iga lost at the US Open, Aryna said she wished they had the chance to play for the #1 ranking. Now, she’ll have that chance If Aryna wins, she stays #1 Iga will need to win the tournament Who wins?

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