At the WTA Finals in California, the first round of the group stage featured one of the most intense matches of the tournament: a meeting between two Americans, world number four Coco Gauff and world number five Jessica Pegula. The match lasted 2 hours and 39 minutes and ended in a three-set victory for Gauff, with each set having its own dramatic arc.

Three sets and nearly three hours on court

Coco took the first set thanks to a break in the final game, which allowed her to take the lead. However, the second set became the centerpiece of the match: Gauff made a comeback from 1:5, reached a match point at 6:5, but Pegula saved it and won the tie-break, leveling the sets. Such grueling struggle took its toll on Jessica — in the decisive set, Gauff immediately made a break, pulled ahead 3:0, and finished off her opponent.

“The mentality played the main role”

After the duel, Gauff attributed the turning point to a psychological factor. “I think the mentality played the main role today. Even after losing the match point in the second set, I was able to fully reset and regain control,” the American noted. This victory became her sixth in 11 head-to-head encounters with Pegula and the third in a row this season.

A historic milestone for 22-year-old Gauff

In addition to the match result, this tournament has statistical significance for Gauff: the 22-year-old tennis player became the youngest player since Martina Hingis (1996–2000) to play at the WTA Finals five consecutive times. This underscores that the American has firmly established herself in the elite and consistently qualifies for the season finale.

Power dynamics in the Kostyuk group

Following the first round, the group is led by Czech Linda Noskova, who defeated Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in two sets (according to the source, 6:2, 4:6). She is followed in the standings by Gauff (second place), Pegula (third), and Kostyuk, who rounds out the quartet. Thus, the Ukrainian faces a tough fight to advance from the group in the next round.

Schedule for the second round

The second-round matches will take place on Tuesday, November 10. First, Marta Kostyuk and Jessica Pegula will take to the court (starting no earlier than 22:00 Kyiv time), followed by the group leaders — Linda Noskova and Coco Gauff. This meeting will likely be key to determining the placements in the group.