Coco Gauff opened her campaign at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells with a win. The 2024 champion defeated her fellow American Jessica Pegula 6:4, 6:7(5), 6:2 in a match that lasted 2 hours and 39 minutes.
Gauff, the No. 4 seed, took the first set with the only break of serve coming in the tenth game. The second set appeared almost decided in Pegula’s favor, as she took a 5:1 lead. Gauff, however, won five games in a row to reach 6:5 and earn a match point.
Pegula escaped the critical situation and then won the tiebreak 7:5 on points to level the score. “I think the most important thing today was to stay in the match. It was a very high-level battle for both of us,” Gauff said after the match. She added that she had managed to readjust after missing the match point.
Gauff quickly regained the initiative in the deciding set. She broke in the opening game, took a 3:0 lead and secured another break later in the set to close out the match 6:2. It was the American’s sixth win in 11 meetings with Pegula and her third in a row in their rivalry.
In the other match from Group 1, Linda Noskova defeated alternate Marta Kostyuk 6:2, 6:4 in 1 hour and 26 minutes. The Czech converted all four of her break-point opportunities and did not allow her Ukrainian opponent to force a deciding third set.
Kostyuk took the place of Elena Rybakina, who withdrew from the tournament for medical reasons. Noskova, the 2026 “Wimbledon” champion, recorded a win on her WTA Finals debut.
Gauff’s next match will be against Noskova in the second round of the group stage. The match is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10. In this format, each tennis player plays three matches in the group, with the top two advancing to the semifinals.