Dabrowski/Routliffe save match point to defeat Errani/Paolini at WTA Finals

At the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF on Tuesday, No.2 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe moved to 2-0 in the White Group, saving one match point to win a 1-6, 7-6(1), [11-9] thriller in 1 hour and 31 minutes over No.4 seeds Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.

WTA Finals Riyadh: Scores | Schedule | Standings

The contest pitted the two winning teams of Sunday's round-robin matches against each other, and it was the 2023 US Open champions who backed up their straight-sets opening victory over Chan Hao-ching and Veronika Kudermetova.

More good news for Dabrowski and Routliffe came later in the day: Chan and Kudermetova's win in Tuesday's night match sealed a semifinal berth for Dabrowski and Routliffe.

"That was a really, really fighting match," Routliffe said after her team's Tuesday victory. "I'm glad we put on a show for you guys, but I hope the next match won't be as exciting!"

The New Zealander's formidable first serve fended off the match point in the super-tiebreak, which Dabrowski joked about in their on-court interview.

"What happened on match point? Big serve? Sounds about right!" said the Canadian.

"It was such a challenge to try to raise our level," she continued. "To try to play against a team that plays a little bit differently than others, with Errani serve-and-volleying and stuff like that. It's kind of things that we do, but don't necessarily play against a lot. Pretty proud of us for the adjustments we made."

In a first-time encounter between the two teams, Errani and Paolini dominated the opening set, winning the first 14 points to get over halfway to a rare 'golden set'. The Olympic gold medallists found winners from every corner of the court to prevent Dabrowski and Routliffe from making any real impact, and closed out the opener in just 22 minutes.

However, last year's runners-up raised their level in the second set, targeting the Errani serve in particular. Momentum swung back and forth: Dabrowski and Routliffe were unable to close out a 5-3 lead, but broke Errani for the third time as the 37-year-old served for the match at 6-5.

A thrilling super-tiebreak saw Dabrowski and Routliffe win the best point of the match with a Dabrowski volley winner to take an 8-7 lead. Trailing 9-8, Routliffe came up with a pair of service winners to reach their first match point, which they converted as a well-placed Dabrowski return foiled Errani's serve-and-volley attempt.

Chan, Kudermetova win late-night affair: No.7 seeds Chan and Kudermetova were the victors in the White Group's Tuesday evening match, keeping their hopes alive to advance from group play into the semifinals.

Chan and Kudermetova edged past No.5 seeds Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawcyzk 3-6, 6-3, [10-7] in 88 minutes, improving their round-robin record to 1-1.

Americans Dolehide and Krawczyk fall to 0-2 in the White Group, and they are eliminated from semifinal contention after their second straight narrow loss.

Despite having fewer winners than their opponents, Dolehide and Krawczyk took the first set without facing a break point. The Americans then had a chance to take a commanding lead when they held four consecutive break points on Chan's serve at 3-3 in the second set.

However, Chan and Kudermetova suddenly won the next eight points in a row to lead 5-3, and they closed out the second set to line up a decisive match-tiebreak.

A back-and-forth breaker saw Chan and Kudermetova win six straight points to lead 7-3, but Dolehide and Krawczyk claimed the next four to tie things up at 7-7. Chan and Kudermetova reclaimed control, though, forcing a volley error from each American to lead 9-7.

Chan sealed victory on her squad's first match point with a volley winner. They will now face Errani and Paolini on Thursday for a semifinal spot at the prestigious year-ending championships.