Linda Noskova beats Coco Gauff to reach WTA Finals semi-finals as Pegula stays alive

Linda Noskova beat Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3 on Tuesday 10 November to become the first player through to the semi-finals of the WTA Finals in Indian Wells. Earlier in Group 1, Jessica Pegula beat Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 7-5 for her first win of the week, which eliminated the Ukrainian and kept Pegula in the race for the last place.

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Noskova breaks Gauff five times

The eighth seed, making her debut at the season finale, needed only 75 minutes to beat the fourth seed. Noskova broke Gauff five times from nine chances, four of them in the first set, and won 18 of the 24 points played on the American's second serve, according to the WTA. She led 4-1 in both sets, and a run of five straight games carried her from the first set into a 3-0 lead in the second, the Associated Press reported. She finished the match with her ninth ace.

"Coco's a big competitor, so I was ready for everything to come my way today," Noskova said, as quoted by the AP. Gauff pointed to her start. "I wish I started off serving a little bit better," she told reporters, per the WTA.

The 21-year-old Czech, who won her first major at Wimbledon in July, has now beaten Gauff in both of their meetings this season after losing their first two. The WTA noted that she is the youngest player to reach the semi-finals on her Finals debut since Petra Kvitova in 2011, and the first No 8 seed to win her opening two round-robin matches since Anett Kontaveit in 2021. She has already beaten Kostyuk 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday.

Pegula bounces back against Kostyuk

Two days after losing a three-set opener to Gauff in which she had a match point, Pegula started at full speed. She won the first nine points of the match, broke in the opening game and took the first set 6-2 in around half an hour, with Kostyuk making 17 unforced errors to her three, the WTA reported.

The second set was far less tidy. Kostyuk, who came into the event as an alternate after Elena Rybakina withdrew with illness, recovered from a break down twice and led 5-4, Tennis Majors noted. Pegula then took the last three games, breaking for 6-5 after a Kostyuk double fault and serving out the match after 1 hour 29 minutes. Kostyuk hit five aces but also nine double faults, while Pegula converted five of her 11 break points, according to Tennis Majors.

It was Pegula's first win over Kostyuk this season, after defeats in Brisbane and Madrid. "Once I got off to a good start today, I definitely didn't want to give away that second set," she told the media, per the WTA. Kostyuk, who has been managing a right wrist injury since the Asian swing, cannot advance after two straight-sets defeats.

Doubles: Errani and Paolini first into the semi-finals

In doubles Group 2, Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini came from a set down to beat fourth seeds Cristina Bucsa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez 3-6, 6-2, 10-7 in a match tie-break. The Italians, the last team to qualify for the event, are 2-0 and have secured first place in the group, their first time past the round-robin stage in three appearances, the WTA said.

Second seeds Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova stayed alive with a 7-6 (2), 6-3 win over Ellen Perez and Demi Schuurs, who are eliminated. Townsend and Siniakova play Bucsa and Melichar-Martinez on Thursday, with the winners taking the second semi-final place from the group.

What comes next in Group 1

Noskova (2-0) is through, Kostyuk (0-2) is out, and the second semi-final spot will go to either Gauff or Pegula, both 1-1, on Thursday 12 November. Noskova faces Pegula in a rematch of their Berlin final, while Gauff plays Kostyuk, who is playing for pride and prize money. Noskova has won three of her four meetings with Pegula, according to the WTA, and she said she was already planning for that match straight after beating Gauff. The top two in each group reach the semi-finals on Saturday 14 November.