Linda Noskova beats Coco Gauff to reach WTA Finals semi-finals in Indian Wells

Noskova wins in straight sets

Linda Noskova, ranked eighth in the world, beat fourth-ranked Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3 in the second match of Group 1 at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, California. The match started after 23:00 Polish time on the night of 10 to 11 November and lasted one hour and 15 minutes, according to SAPO and Interia. G4Media gave the duration as one hour and 16 minutes and reported the second set as 6-2. Interia reported that Gauff trailed 1-4 in the first set before pulling back to 3-4, after which Noskova closed the set 6-3 and led 3-0 early in the second. Gauff committed 21 unforced errors and eight double faults, according to Blick.

A debut with firsts

Noskova, 21, is playing in the WTA Finals for the first time and won Wimbledon earlier this year. The official WTA website noted that she is the youngest player to reach a semi-final on her first WTA Finals appearance since Petra Kvitova in 2011. It also said she is the youngest to win her first two group matches since Gauff in 2024, and the first seeded eighth player to do so since Anett Kontaveit in 2021. Noskova opened the tournament with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Marta Kostyuk. She told reporters that she did not know she had already qualified and that her focus had moved to Jessica Pegula.

Kostyuk out, Pegula still in contention

Marta Kostyuk, ranked tenth, lost to Jessica Pegula 6-2, 7-5 in the same round, a match that lasted one hour and 28 minutes according to SAPO. Pegula, ranked fifth and a finalist at the 2023 WTA Finals, won her first match of the tournament and kept her qualification hopes alive. Kostyuk had entered the event as a replacement for Elena Rybakina, the world number one and defending champion, who is recovering from a viral syndrome. Her defeat ends her chances of reaching the semi-finals.

Final round on Thursday

Noskova leads Group 1 with two wins and has qualified, but she has not yet secured first place. Gauff and Pegula each have one win. In the final round on Thursday, 12 November, Gauff plays Kostyuk and Noskova plays Pegula. Gauff holds the first tiebreaker over Pegula because she beat her compatriot head-to-head, so Pegula needs a win and a favourable result in the other match to stay in the race. Blick described Gauff as the favourite against Kostyuk, who is still without a win in the event.

Group 2 picture

In Group 2, Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva both began with two wins and share the top spot. Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova 7-6(2), 7-5, and Andreeva beat Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-0. The two leaders meet on Wednesday night, 11 November, in a match that could decide who reaches the semi-finals. Svitolina and Muchova will look for their first win in the group. Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini of Italy have already reached the doubles semi-finals after two wins in their group, and the tournament runs until 15 November.