Jessica Pegula goes to the semifinals of the WTA Finals and eliminates Gauff

A american Jessica Pegula toured on Thursday at the WTA semi-finals Tennis finals, winning the Czech finish Linda Noskova on the third and final journey of Group 1, while countryman Coco Gauff was eliminated.

In Indian Wells, in the United States, Pegula, the fifth world player, beat Noskova, octave, in three partials, by 7-6 (7-2), 4-6 and 7-5, in a meeting held on hard floors and which ended after two hours and 45 minutes.

The United States became the first tennis player in seven years to win a match in the WTA Finals after saving rendezvous points, a scenario faced in the 10th decisive set game, at 4-5, when it lost by 30-40.

Jessica Pegula, finalist defeated in 2023, secured one of the two qualifying positions for the ‘middles’, in which she is for the third time, and second consecutive, and ended the ‘poule’ in the vice-leadership, by counting two victories and a defeat, identical record to Linda Noskova, first ranked, in the face of the best percentage between defeated and lost partials.

In the next phase, Pegula will measure forces with the Russian Mirra Andreeva, whose command of Group 2 is already guaranteed, while Noskova, champion at Wimbledon, will be an opponent of Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka or Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, still fighting for the second post of that ‘poule’.

From the outside was Coco Gauff, fourth in the hierarchy, despite the victory for 6-4 and 7-5 in an hour and 39 minutes before the Ukrainian eliminated Marta Kostyuk, 10th and substitute in the WTA Finals of the world leader and holder of the trophy, Kazakh Elena Rybakina, who recovers from a viral syndrome.

Gauff, champion in 2024, imposed the third defeat on debutante Kostyuk and ended with the same two triumphs in three possible of Linda Noskova and Jessica Pegula, being driven away by the lowest rate of defeated partials (4-3 and 57%, against 5-2 and 71% of the Czech and 5-3 and 63% of the countryman).

The final journey of the group phase of the race played by the eight best of the year at the end of the season ends today, with the conclusion of Group 2, in which the Czech Karolina Muchova, seventh WTA and already eliminated, faces Mirra Andreeva, third, before Aryna Sabalenka, second, and Elina Svitolina, Friday, decide their future in the framework of female singulars.

The WTA Finals are held until Sunday and for the first time in Indian Wells, after the Women's Tennis Association requested a change of headquarters of the tournament, which had been held in Riyadh since 2024 and was to remain in the capital of Saudi Arabia for at least three years.

Several sporting events planned for the Middle East were postponed or cancelled in recent months with the war in the region, where the United States and Israel launched a military attack on Iran in February.