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

No luck for Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in their second group match at the WTA Finals doubles tournament. The Italian duo suffered their first defeat in Riyadh against the formidable pair of Taiwan’s Su-Wei Hsieh and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, who won 6-3, 6-4. A match dominated by Hsieh and Ostapenko, players who are as strong as they are utterly unpredictable but 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 court for the third day in a row, looked understandably tired.

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