Ons Jabeur has had a forgettable campaign filled with early-round exits and multiple injuries. She also missed out on the qualification for the WTA Finals 2024 after falling to 41 in the rankings. Organizers have still invited Jabeur to attend the year-end tournament and participate in other social media activities to promote the event.
Jabeur was given the responsibility to toss the coin ahead of the All-American battle between Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula on Day 2 in Riyadh. Pegula won the toss, prompting the Tunisian to pass a hilarious remark regarding her friendship with the US Open 2024 finalist. “Jess likes me more,” Ons said.
Ons Jabeur doing the coin flip for the Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula match at the WTA Finals in Riyadh
*Pegula wins the toss*
Ons: “Jess likes me more” pic.twitter.com/jR4iF0eWIH
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 3, 2024
Both players were understandably serious and heavily invested in their thoughts before their showdown. But the “Minister of Happiness” stayed true to her reputation and lightened the mood with this comment, leaving the competitors in splits.
J-Peg was barely able to justify her decision to serve first. She faced a break point in the first game while also recording double faults. Ultimately, she held her serve in the game. But Jabeur’s “better” friend wasn’t victorious. The 20-year-old Gauff displayed a sensational performance and capped a 6-3, 6-2 win, sitting atop the Group Orange’s standings.
Gauff snaps a three-match losing streak against her compatriot
Coco Gauff is a far superior player to Jessica Pegula, already achieving many more feats at 20 years old than her compatriot ever did. But Gauff seemed to be struggling in each of their past three matchups.
Pegula clinched three straight wins – the Montreal 2023 quarterfinal, WTA Finals 2023 semifinal, and Berlin Open 2024 semifinal – over Gauff. The more experienced player was able to attack her opponent’s weakness in each of these matches.
On Sunday, Gauff finally found a way to beat her. It goes without saying that she was delighted with her performance after improving her head-to-head record against Pegula.
“It was a tough match. She’s always a tough opponent. Overall I’m just happy with how I played. I think we were both playing at a high level, I was just able to break through on some of the more important points,” Coco said.
The top two American players could still face each other in the final of the tournament if all goes well. The chances of this encounter occurring are quite low. But American fans will be hopeful, especially about Pegula’s chances against the remaining members – Iga Swiatek and Barbora Krejcikova – of the Group Orange.
