Archive November 2, 2025

At the WTA Finals, world no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff both had opposing serving results.

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Sabalenka, the reigning US Open champion, defeated Italian Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-1.

The Belarusian, who won the year-end number one ranking earlier this week, outclassed the agile Paolini in 24 wins on top of 66% of first-served points.

However, Jessica Pegula, the other American, defeated French Open champion Gauff, who made 75 unforced errors and 17 double faults.

In Sunday’s second match of the Stefanie Graf Group, world number three Gauff suffered a 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2 defeat to fifth-ranked Pegula.

Sabalenka won her 60th game of the year and her 12th against a top-10 opponent when she defeated world number eight Paolini.

She has been at the top of the world rankings for 63 weeks, including 55 consecutive weeks since October of last year.

Sabalenka has won the title five times in a row, but she hasn’t qualified for the year-end Finals. In 2022, she came in second behind Caroline Garcia.

Paolini, who is the only player competing in both singles and doubles, was absolutely fantastic against the 29-year-old.

Before Sabalenka started winning six games in a row to end the first set and take a 4-0 lead into the second, the pair traded breaks in the first set.

Paolini got on the board and let Sabalenka score, but Paolini didn’t really threaten until the next game when big first serves gave her the lead.

Throughout a sluggish contest, both Pegula and Gauff struggled to maintain consistency.

In a first set that started with five consecutive breaks of serve, Pegula, who finished second in 2023, settled more quickly, holding on for a 4-2 lead before breaking Gauff for a fourth time.

Gauff broke at the start of the second, but she was unable to finish the set at 5-4 when she was re-broken on a double fault, and again at 6-5 after hitting three more double faults in a row.

However, she did a fantastic job of resetting to force a decisive set from the tie-break.

After breaking Gauff for a 3-point lead, the players exchanged breaks of serve once more, but Pegula would not be denied.

In a 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) victory over Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider, third seeds Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand, won the doubles match.

After falling behind in the second set, Taylor Townsend and Katarina Siniakova defeated Luisa Stefani and Timea Babos 6-2, 3-6, 10-6.

Victoria Mboko, a 19-year-old Canadian, won the Hong Kong Open 7-5 6-7 (9-11) 6-2 to extend her remarkable year.

After a blistering first-half start at home against London rival Harlequins, Saracens won 47-10 to officially launch their Premiership Women’s Rugby campaign.

In the opening 10 minutes, Sarries bounced back from a devastating defeat in their first game against Gloucester Hartpury, the PWR final opponent, with the help of Alysha Corrigan, Kelsey Clifford, and Jemma-Jo Linkins.

Ellie Kildunne, an England star, scored one of the team’s seven tries overall as Quins lost their first game of the season.

Red Roses full-back Kildunne was making her 50th appearance for Quins, but Saracens was the one to start the game at StoneX Stadium.

When Katie Shillaker scored wide to put Quins on the board, Corrigan opened the scoring just after the second minute, when the visitors were already leading 19-0.

In the 28th minute, Poppy Cleall was sent off for the home team, but they then doubled their lead with Laets Royer’s debut try before the break.

At the start of the second half, Sydney Gregson scored Corrigan for her second try, but Louise McMillan and Amelia MacDougall added two late tries for Sarries while Kildunne scored for Quins for 33-10 with seven minutes left.

In Scott Lawson’s first game in charge of last season’s fourth-place finishers, Bristol Bears defeated Leicester Tigers to open their campaign with a 12-try victory.

At Mattioli Woods Welford Road, speedy winger Reneeq Bonner scored a hat-trick, with Millie David dominating with four impressive tries.

Evie Gallagher, Amy Dale, and Holly Phillips each received a try, along with Ella Lovibond, and there was also a couple.

The Bears’ only negative aspect was center Phoebe Miller’s injury, who had to be forced off midway through the first half to put on crutches.

After making her first appearance of the season at Loughbrough Lightning, World Cup winner Holly Aitchison was unable to lead Sale Sharks to a second victory in as many games.

Sadia Kabeya and Lilli Ives Campion, the home team, rallied from a dismal start to the season to record a 19-12 victory at Franklin’s Gardens.

Haineala Lutui touched down twice in the second half, while Tahlia Brody scored a try for Lightning on her debut.