(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

CANCUN, Mexico (AP) As match point after match point came and went - there were six in all she didn't convert - Jessica Pegula made sure she stayed calm and didn't, as she put it, “freak out” against No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka at the WTA Finals on Tuesday.

When her seventh chance to end things arrived, Pegula finally was able to complete a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Sabalenka in round-robin action at the season-ending championship for the top eight players in women's tennis.

“We all, as tennis players, have experienced that to some extent - on both sides. So, I mean, I try to use my match experience as best I can," said Pegula, a 29-year-old American who is now guaranteed to finish atop her group and reach the semifinals in Cancun. "Every match, you’re always going to feel different. But I think the more you put yourself in those situations, the better you feel when they come up again. It doesn’t feel like you have to panic as much."

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