When Coco Gauff fell to Jessica Pegula in her WTA Finals opener, it was clear she’d have to dig deeper if she wanted a shot at the semifinals. Fast forward a couple of days, and the 21-year-old walked in chasing history, hoping to follow in the footsteps of her idol, Serena Williams, by becoming the first player since Serena’s 2014 three-peat to successfully defend the WTA Finals crown. This time, Gauff didn’t just rise to the occasion as she made sure her dream stayed alive, she did it in style.

In a high-energy showdown at the WTA Finals, defending champion Coco Gauff powered past Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2 on Tuesday. Even her streaky service game was long forgotten as she went from 17 DFs against Pegula to just 3 this time. The dominant straight-sets win kept the American

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