Noskova beats Gauff to seal WTA Finals semi-final place

AI-generated illustration.

Linda Noskova became the first player to qualify for the WTA Finals semi-finals after beating Coco Gauff 6–3, 6–3 in Indian Wells on Tuesday, 10 November. The Czech won in 75 minutes to take her Group 1 record to 2–0 without dropping a set.

The 21-year-old put Gauff under sustained pressure on return, breaking five times from nine opportunities. Four of those breaks came in the opening set, and Noskova won 18 of the 24 points played on Gauff’s second serve.

Noskova built 4–1 leads in both sets. Her victory makes her the youngest player to reach the last four on her first WTA Finals appearance since Petra Kvitova in 2011.

Earlier, Jessica Pegula kept her campaign alive by defeating Marta Kostyuk 6–2, 7–5 in one hour and 29 minutes. Pegula and Gauff now each have one win and one defeat, while Kostyuk is out of contention after losing both of her matches in straight sets.

Pegula started by winning the first nine points, including a break without conceding a point in the opening game. She completed the first set in half an hour, with Kostyuk making 17 unforced errors compared with three from the American.

The second set was more competitive, but Pegula secured the late break that gave her a 6–5 lead and then served out the match. The result repaired some of the damage from her opening defeat by Gauff.

Group play concludes for the four players on Thursday, 12 November. Noskova faces Pegula, while Gauff meets Kostyuk. Noskova’s qualification is already secure; Pegula and Gauff are competing for the group’s other place in the knockout stage.