Gauff beats Pegula in three sets at WTA Finals as Noskova wins opener

Gauff recovers from a second-set collapse

Coco Gauff beat fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 in the early hours of Monday, 9 November, in the opening round of the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, California. Gauff, ranked fourth, took the first set, but she then fell 1-5 behind in the second after Pegula, ranked fifth, won three consecutive breaks. Gauff rebuilt the set with five games in a row and saved three set points along the way, yet Pegula won the tiebreak 7-5 to force a deciding set. Gauff broke twice early in the third set and converted her third match point to finish the 6-2 decider.

Gauff had not played a competitive tournament since early October, and she said afterwards that she had never entered an event of this scale without preparation.

“To play a tournament like this with no preparation is something I've never done in my career, but I'm just really happy to get through.”

Noskova opens with a straight-sets win

Linda Noskova, the Wimbledon champion and ranked eighth, beat Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-4 in 86 minutes in the other group 1 match. Kostyuk, ranked 10th, entered the field at short notice after Elena Rybakina withdrew because of illness on Saturday, 7 November. Blick reported that Rybakina, the world No 1 and defending champion, had not fully recovered from a viral infection. Noskova broke in the opening game of the match and went on to lead 4-1 in the first set. She converted all four of her break point chances, and her crosscourt forehand gave her the edge in the rallies that mattered. Earlier this year Noskova had also beaten Kostyuk in the Wimbledon semi-finals before going on to win that tournament.

Group 1 and the schedule ahead

After the first round, Noskova leads group 1. The next round is set for Tuesday, 10 November, when Noskova plays Gauff and Kostyuk meets Pegula. Two group B matches were scheduled for Monday, with the rest of the round-robin running through the week. The tournament is due to finish on Sunday, 15 November. Gauff's only title this season came at the Cincinnati Open in August, where she beat Pegula in the final, so the two Americans have already met in a title match this year.

Rybakina's absence and the ranking race

Rybakina's withdrawal removed the defending champion and the year's top-ranked player from the field before a ball was struck. Her replacement, Kostyuk, lost in straight sets, and the tournament carries no decisive ranking weight. Rybakina is set to finish the year at No 1 regardless of the outcome in Indian Wells. For Gauff and Pegula the opening result matters more for their group standing than for the year-end table, as both still have to play the remaining round-robin matches.