Jessica Pegula secured her place in the WTA Finals semifinals on Thursday after saving a match point during a hard-fought three-set victory over Linda Noskova. The American’s triumph in the final round-robin match simultaneously resulted in the elimination of compatriot Coco Gauff.
Pegula Overcomes Noskova in Three Sets
Fifth-ranked American Pegula recorded a career-high 16 aces to claim a 7-6 (7/2), 4-6, 7-5 win against Wimbledon champion Noskova. Pegula remarked on the competitive nature of their encounters, noting that their matches consistently follow a similar pattern and acknowledging that she knew opportunities would arise despite falling behind in the second set.
Noskova had previously secured her spot in the final four with two round-robin victories and stood just one point away from a clean sweep of the group when she held a match point at 5-4 in the decider. Pegula neutralized the threat with an ace, broke Noskova’s serve in the subsequent game, and secured the victory on her first match point.
By finishing second in the group behind Noskova, Pegula advances to face group two winner Mirra Andreeva on Saturday. This upcoming meeting follows an incident a week prior on a practice court, where a microphone recording ambient sound captured Pegula referring to the teenage Russian player as a diva, though Andreeva later stated that Pegula had apologized and the issue was resolved.
Gauff Exits Despite Victory Over Kostyuk
Earlier, Gauff did everything possible to keep her tournament hopes alive by overcoming Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine with a 6-4, 7-5 scoreline. Trailing 5-1 in the second set, Gauff saved three set points in the seventh game and rattled off six consecutive games to claim the straight-sets win in one hour and 39 minutes, despite committing nine double faults.
The opening set proved equally competitive. After dropping her opening service game, Gauff recovered by breaking Kostyuk twice to establish a 5-2 lead. Kostyuk subsequently requested a medical timeout for treatment and taping on her right wrist, returning to hold serve and break Gauff as the American served for the set, aided by two double faults from Gauff. Gauff regrouped to take the first set before falling behind 3-0 in the second, during which she also received treatment for back tightness.
Round-robin competition concludes on Friday as world number two Aryna Sabalenka plays sixth-ranked Ukrainian Elina Svitolina to determine the second qualifier from their group. Meanwhile, Andreeva will face Czech player Karolina Muchova, who has already been eliminated from semifinal contention.
