Coco Gauff faces a critical round-robin match against Marta Kostyuk at the WTA Finals in California, with her tournament future hanging in the balance. The American star opened her campaign with a hard-fought three-set victory over compatriot Jessica Pegula, winning 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 on Sunday in Indian Wells. However, a subsequent 6-3, 6-3 defeat to Linda Noskova on Tuesday left Gauff sitting third in her group and outside the semi-final qualification positions.
Head-to-Head History
Gauff holds a 4-2 lead in her career head-to-head matches against the world number 10. Their rivalry began four years ago at the Adelaide International, where Gauff claimed a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 victory. They met again at the 2024 Australian Open, with Gauff winning a tight quarter-final encounter 7-6, 6-7, 6-2.
Kostyuk earned her first win against the American at the Stuttgart Open later that year, triumphing 3-6, 6-4, 7-6. Gauff bounced back at the Wuhan Open with a 6-4, 6-1 win, before Kostyuk responded by defeating Gauff in her opening match at the Qatar Open in February 2025.
Their most recent meeting took place at the 2026 Cincinnati Open, where Gauff secured a dominant 6-2, 6-2 victory on her way to capturing her fourth WTA 1000 title.
Previous Encounters and Strategy
During their encounter in Ohio, Gauff excelled on return by claiming 25 of the 32 points played on Kostyuk’s second serve. She also secured 75 percent of her first-serve points and successfully converted six break-point chances.
Reflecting on her tactical development after that match, Gauff highlighted the importance of adjusting her playing style based on advice from tennis legend Chris Evert, as reported by sports.yahoo.com via the WTA.
“I didn’t realize how good I was at it until Wimbledon. Everyone has been telling me to come to the net more,” Gauff said.
“Actually, Chris Evert has been texting me sometimes to come to the net more. And I tell her yeah, I’m going to, and then I just don’t. I finally did at Wimbledon and I won so many points that way.”
“And obviously here, there’s just a big difference when you’re able to finish the point at the net,” Gauff added.
Gauff will need another strong performance against Kostyuk to secure a spot in the last four of the competition.
