Linda Noskova became the first semifinalist at the Women’s Tennis Association Finals in Indian Wells. The Wimbledon champion defeated Coco Gauff 6–3, 6–3 in 75 minutes to record her second victory in Group 1.
The Czech, who is competing in the event for the first time, has still not lost a set. Noskova established her advantage at the very beginning of both sets and built a 4–1 lead. She broke Gauff’s serve five times, converted five of her nine break-point opportunities and won 18 of 24 points on the American’s second serve.
“First of all, I didn’t even know I was in the semifinals. Right after the match, I was already thinking about how I would play against Jessie Pegula in two days,” Noskova told reporters.
Gauff admitted that her serve had not been effective enough to put greater pressure on her opponent’s service games. “If I had served better, maybe I could have put more pressure on her in those games,” the American said.
Following her victory, Noskova is guaranteed to finish in one of the top two places in the group. Gauff and Jessica Pegula each have one win and one loss, while Marta Kostyuk was eliminated after her second defeat.
Pegula kept her chances alive with a 6–2, 7–5 victory over the Ukrainian. Kostyuk entered the tournament as a replacement for world No. 1 Elena Rybakina, who withdrew due to illness, but was unable to win a match in Indian Wells.
In the final round, Noskova will face Pegula, while Gauff will play Kostyuk. The American must beat the Ukrainian to advance to the semifinals. The winner of the match will take second place in Group 1. The WTA Finals in Indian Wells are being held from November 8 to 15, 2026.