With the WTA Finals taking place in Indian Wells out of season, the organizers would have hoped that the two American players, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, would make deep runs in the event to attract large crowds, as was seen on Court 2 when the two faced off on Sunday. However, Tuesday’s results, which saw Gauff lose to Linda Noskova in straight sets, meant only one of the two home favorites could advance to the semifinals.
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Given the match result and Jessica Pegula beating Marta Kostyuk in the other match of the day, Noskova has ensured her semifinal qualification, which is no mean feat, given this is her WTA Finals debut. On the other hand, Gauff’s qualification is no longer in her own hands. She has to beat Kostyuk in her final group match and keep an eye on the Pegula-Noskova contest, hoping the Czech maintains an unbeaten group-stage record.
Should Pegula win her match against Noskova, that would render Gauff’s qualification chances moot, as the World No. 5 would end with two victories, including five set wins. On the other hand, even a win against Kostyuk would take Gauff to two victories, but at best the American would be at four set wins, which would keep her behind Pegula. Even if Pegula beats Noskova in straight sets, Gauff can match the Czech in terms of set wins with a straight-set win over Kostyuk herself, but the head-to-head loss against Noskova would see the latter going through to the semifinals.
The only sureshot way for Gauff to qualify is to hope for a Pegula loss, which would mean a simple win against Kostyuk would see her through. As it turns out, the set she lost against Pegula in her opening match might be Gauff’s undoing. If that does come to pass, it would be unfortunate for Gauff, as she had fought back from a 1-5 deficit in the set and even had a match point to win it, but could not convert.
As for the match between Noskova and Gauff, it started with three consecutive breaks of serve, with the Czech player edging 2-1 ahead in the first set. She soon broke the American’s serve once again to go 4-1 up, and even though Gauff broke back to make it 4-2, Noskova got a fourth service break in the set to win it 6-3. The set was a bit scratchy, with both players making more unforced errors than hitting winners, and Gauff’s 16 unforced errors, including six double faults, seemed to be her undoing.
Gauff has made her name in her career by digging deep in matches and making miraculous comebacks. However, on this occasion, there was no stopping Noskova, who raised her game in the second set, racing to an early 3-0 lead. That was enough for the reigning Wimbledon champion to win the set 6-3, as she did not face a single break point in the set while hitting 14 winners and making only six unforced errors.
While the match between Gauff and Noskova saw the Czech player raise her level to win, the other match of the day between Pegula and Kostyuk proved error-filled, with the American getting the better of an undercooked Kostyuk.
Jessica Pegula Wins an Error-Strewn Match Against Marta Kostyuk
Having lost to Gauff in a three-set thriller in the opening match, Pegula was back to her winning ways against Kostyuk. The first set saw the American face no break points, as Pegula broke the Ukrainian’s serve twice to win it 6-2. She hit only three winners in the set, but Kostyuk making 17 unforced errors saw the home favorite win the set easily.
The second set started off with four service breaks, after which both players held serve till 6-5. In the twelfth game of the set, with Kostyuk serving, Pegula made her move, getting the decisive break to win the match. Although the scoreline looks closer in the second set, it was mostly down to the errors made by both players, with Kostyuk making 30 unforced errors and Pegula making 11 unforced errors in the set.
For Kostyuk, coming into the WTA Finals at the last moment following Elena Rybakina’s withdrawal, was always going to be tricky. As for Pegula, the win gives her a chance to qualify, but the American will have her work cut out against Noskova, given the Czech’s form and the fact that she holds a 3-1 head-to-head lead over the World No. 5.