Pegula edges Noskova in thriller at WTA Finals, eliminating Gauff

In the season-ending WTA Finals tennis championships, featuring the eight leading women's players of the year, American Jessica Pegula beat Linda Noskova 7-6 (7/2), 4-6, 7-5 on Thursday to advance from her round-robin group. The result, in the final group match, eliminated fellow American Coco Gauff.

Pegula saved a match point and served a career-high 16 aces in a contest lasting two hours and 45 minutes. Wimbledon champion Noskova, meanwhile, committed a career-high 15 double faults. The tournament was moved this year from Riyadh to Indian Wells, California, because of the United States-Israel war on Iran.

Three players level on record

Noskova, Gauff and Pegula all finished the group with two wins and one loss, while Marta Kostyuk, an alternate, lost all three matches. Noskova won the group with a 5-2 sets record, Pegula was second at 5-3 and Gauff third at 4-3.

Afterwards Pegula said that serving sometimes feels good and sometimes does not, and that it had worked well this time even though it had not in her first couple of matches.

On Saturday, Pegula will face Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva, ranked World No 3, in the semifinals, their first meeting. Before the tournament, Pegula called Andreeva "a diva" who "needs to be humbled" during a practice session, not realising it was being livestreamed. In the same comments she also praised her opponent, and apologised afterwards. On Thursday Pegula described Andreeva as fast, strong, smart and a great server, and said she would do her best.

Gauff beats Kostyuk

Earlier in the day, Gauff beat Kostyuk 6-4, 7-5. Trailing 1-5 in the second set, the American won six games in a row, and she needed treatment on her back during the set. Kostyuk, who won the Madrid title and reached the French Open semifinals this year, was already eliminated before the match. She entered the tournament as an alternate after top-ranked Elena Rybakina withdrew through illness, and struggled with a wrist injury.