Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) - American Coco Gauff, ranked fourth in the world, defeated her compatriot Jessica Pegula, fifth, after a strong three-set confrontation on Sunday, with a score of 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, to achieve her first victory in the WTA Final Championship, held in Indian Wells, USA.
Published on: 09/11/2026 - 08:39
After winning the first set, Gauff, who won the US Championship in 2023 and Roland Garros in 2025, trailed 1-5 in the second set before winning five games in a row.
She saved three balls to decide the set, and had a chance to win the match, but Pegula held on and imposed a tiebreak and then a third set thanks to a winning forehand.
In the decisive group, Coco Gauff, 22 years old, defeated her older compatriot Pegula (32), to win the match after two hours and 39 minutes of play.
The winner said: "I had a lot of fun. I had a short break. This was my first match in about a month. I have never participated in a tournament like this without preparation during my career."
Gauff is competing for the fifth time in a row in the prestigious tournament that brings together the eight best players of the year at the end of the season.
Earlier today in Indian Wells, California, Czech Linda Noskova, who won the Wimbledon title this year, defeated Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-4 in the first match of the tournament.
Noskova, ranked eighth in the world, took advantage of her opportunities well to defeat Kostyuk, tenth, who was a last-minute replacement for Kazakhstani world number one Elena Rybakina, who withdrew on the eve of the tournament due to being infected with a virus.
The Czech player succeeded in investing her four break opportunities, and also relied on the effectiveness of her first serve.
With this victory, she earned her first three points in Group A, the same group that includes Gauff and Pegula. Each player faces the other three players in her group.
The second group competitions begin on Monday, with Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, ranked second in the world, entering the competition.
© 2026 AFP
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