Jessica Pegula saved a match point and defeated Linda Noskova 7-6 (7/2), 4-6, 7-5 on Thursday to advance from her round-robin group at the WTA Finals and eliminate fellow American Coco Gauff from the season-ending championships. The match in Indian Wells lasted two hours and 45 minutes, with Pegula striking a career-high 16 aces and Wimbledon champion Noskova committing a career-high 15 double faults. The result left Noskova, Pegula and Gauff all at 2-1 in the group, with set records deciding the standings.
Key Takeaways: Pegula beat Noskova 7-6 (7/2), 4-6, 7-5, firing 16 aces while Noskova made 15 double faults. Noskova topped the group at 5-2 in sets, followed by Pegula at 5-3 and Gauff at 4-3; Marta Kostyuk went 0-3. Pegula will face Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in Saturday’s semifinal.
The group’s tight finish underscored how fine the margins can be at the eight-player finale: all three contenders finished 2-1 in matches, but set differential and head-to-head outcomes determined the semifinal places. Noskova’s 5-2 set record earned first place, Pegula’s 5-3 mark was enough for second, and Gauff’s 4-3 record left her third. Kostyuk entered as an alternate after top-ranked Elena Rybakina withdrew because of illness; struggling with a wrist injury, Kostyuk failed to win a set in three matches. The scenario highlighted the physical demands of the late-season schedule and the role of alternates in a tournament where a single set can decide a season’s final chapter.
Pegula described the challenge of managing her serve from day to day: “I’ve learned that sometimes the serve feels good and sometimes it doesn’t, and how to manage the days when it doesn’t and to ride it when you are serving well.” She added that she did not serve especially well in her first couple of matches but was excellent on Thursday. Earlier, Gauff rallied to beat Kostyuk 6-4, 7-5 on a sun-soaked Stadium Two, recovering from 1-5 down in the second set by winning six games in a row; she needed treatment on her back during the set. “It’s the last tournament of the season, so I just wanted to finish it on a high note,” Gauff said.
The tournament had been moved from Riyadh to Indian Wells following the escalation involving the United States and Israel with Iran, a decision that added logistical and geopolitical complications to the WTA’s season finale. Pegula’s semifinal against Andreeva also carries a backdrop: Pegula had earlier called Andreeva “a diva” who “needs to be humbled,” not realizing her remarks were being livestreamed during a practice session. She later apologized and noted that she had also praised the world No 3. On Thursday, Pegula said of Andreeva: “She’s fast, she has a great serve, she’s strong, she hits the ball pretty hard, and she’s smart.”
Pegula and Andreeva will meet for the first time on Saturday, with Pegula calling it “the match people wanted.” The encounter will be scrutinized both for its tennis and for the lingering attention around Pegula’s earlier comments. For Pegula, the semifinal is a chance to cap a strong late-season run and reach the final of the WTA Finals; for Andreeva, it is an opportunity to reinforce her rapid rise among the sport’s elite. The remaining semifinals and final lineup will be decided over the weekend, with organizers and players alike hoping the focus returns to the court after a week shaped by logistical changes and tight group-stage calculations.
Source: www.aljazeera.com