Jessica Pegula mounted a dramatic comeback to eliminate Coco Gauff from the WTA Finals, saving a match point against Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova to secure a 7-6 (7-2) 4-6 7-5 victory on Thursday. According to BBC Sport, the American's mental resilience proved decisive in a fluctuating contest that saw her advance to the semifinals after an earlier loss to Gauff in the group stage.
Pegula's path to the last four depended entirely on defeating Noskova, as Gauff had already secured her spot by beating Marta Kostyuk earlier in the day. The tournament's eight-player format features two round-robin groups with the top two finishers advancing to the semifinals, meaning Pegula's victory eliminated Gauff from contention despite her win over Kostyuk.
The decisive moment came when Noskova held a match point on Pegula's serve at 5-4 in the third set but failed to convert. Pegula's serving prowess proved instrumental throughout the match, as she delivered 16 aces—the most she has produced in a single WTA Tour match—while returning with precision to consistently trouble Noskova. By contrast, the Czech player struggled on her own serve, committing 15 double faults against just nine aces.
Gauff battles through injury to end tournament
Coco Gauff demonstrated exceptional mental fortitude in her 6-4 7-5 victory over Kostyuk, fighting through a lower back injury that forced her to receive treatment midway through the match. After falling 5-1 down in the second set, the world number four rallied dramatically, reeling off six consecutive games to complete the comeback. This marked the second time at this tournament that Gauff had overturned a 5-1 deficit, having accomplished the same feat against Pegula on Sunday.
Gauff acknowledged the physical toll of the extended tennis season in her post-match comments.
"Physically, I wasn't at my best, which I'm not really used to," she told Sky Sports. "It was like a mental challenge, learning how to play through that."The 22-year-old admitted she had not expected to mount another comeback from such a significant deficit and was mentally preparing for a third set when her momentum shifted.
The American struggled considerably with her serve throughout the match, producing nine double faults to just one ace, and revealed afterward that she experienced pain with her serving motion.
"I asked my physio at 5-2 down, what can I do on the bathroom break [between sets] to try and loosen up," Gauff said. "And then there was no bathroom break!"Her movement was hampered by the back issue, yet the crowd support and her aggressive stroke-making ultimately allowed her to outlast her opponent.
Kostyuk, who entered the tournament as an alternate after Elena Rybakina withdrew due to illness, struggled to generate pace and spin because of a wrist injury that has troubled her since August. World number four Gauff came back from an early break down to take the first set, but immediately encountered difficulties in the second. After going 3-0 down, she called for the trainer, and soon found herself down a double break with Kostyuk saving three break points in between. However, with her movement compromised and the crowd behind her, Gauff was able to swing hard and ultimately prevail.
Pegula's path and the WTA Finals structure
Pegula's journey to the semifinals followed an earlier loss to Gauff in the group stage. She had lost that opening match 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 2-6 before defeating Kostyuk 6-2, 7-5, leaving her needing a victory over Noskova to progress. The American reached the WTA Finals showpiece in 2023, where she lost to Iga Swiatek in the championship match.
Noskova had already secured her semifinal berth before facing Pegula and will advance to face either Elina Svitolina or Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday. Pegula will meet French Open champion Mirra Andreeva for the first time in their careers. Before the tournament began, the Women's Tennis Association chair apologised to Pegula after private comments she made to her coach about Andreeva during a practice session were inadvertently live-streamed.
Tournament context and upcoming matches
The WTA Finals are being held in Indian Wells in 2026, after the event's Riyadh hosting deal ended early, with Charlotte scheduled to host the next three editions. Noskova had already qualified for the semifinals by defeating Gauff 6-3, 6-3, while Andreeva also secured her place by defeating Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 6-0.
The semifinals are scheduled for November 14, with play beginning at noon Pacific time, followed by the finals on November 15. Pegula's survival of the match point against Noskova sets up intriguing semifinal matchups that will determine which players compete for the championship title.
