In Riyadh, the Italian duo fell to the formidable pair of Hsieh of Taiwan and Ostapenko of Latvia, who won 6-3, 6-4

It was no go for Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in their second group match at the WTA Finals doubles tournament. The Italian duo suffered their first loss in Riyadh against the formidable pair of Taiwan’s Su-Wei Hsieh and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, who won 6-3, 6-4. The match was dominated by Hsieh and Ostapenko, players who are as strong as they are utterly unpredictable—and extremely difficult to beat when they’re on their game. Errani and Paolini didn’t play their best match, making a few too many errors, and the Tuscan, on the court for the third day in a row, appeared understandably tired.

In terms of qualifying for the semifinals, the Italian pair’s next match against the Kudermetova-Mertens duo—who are still winless—will likely be decisive, as will the match between the Muhammad-Schuurs pair, who are also winless and will face off tonight in their second match of the tournament. Hsieh and Ostapenko have two wins, while Errani and Paolini remain at one, so for the Italian pair, the next match could be a virtual head-to-head battle to advance in the tournament.