Noskova defeats Gauff 6-3, 6-3 to reach WTA Finals semifinals; Americans vie for second spot
Linda Noskova became the first player to qualify for the semifinals of the 2026 WTA Finals when she beat Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3 in 1 hour and 15 minutes in Indian Wells, California on Tuesday. Her straight-sets win in round-robin play guaranteed her advancement out of the group stage.
Noskova, the No. 8 seed and the reigning Wimbledon champion, is 21 years old and is making her WTA Finals debut after winning her first Grand Slam title in July. She followed up her Sunday win over Marta Kostyuk with a composed display against Gauff. Gauff, 22, entered the event having become the youngest woman to make five consecutive WTA Finals since Martina Hingis (1996-2000) and had narrowly beaten Jessica Pegula in her opening round-robin match.
Gauff fell behind by a double-break in the first set as Noskova won five games in a row to take the set and open a 3-0 lead. Noskova maintained consistent play through the second set and finished the match when she struck her ninth ace on match point. The straight-sets victory required 1 hour and 15 minutes on court.
“Coco’s a big competitor, so I was ready for everything to come my way today,” said Noskova, the No. 8 seed. “I feel like I held myself through a lot of tough situations.”
Jessica Pegula, who finished runner-up at the WTA Finals in 2023, defeated Marta Kostyuk to keep her own semifinal hopes alive after suffering two losses to the Ukrainian earlier this season. Kostyuk entered the eight-woman field as a late alternate following World No. 1 Elena Rybakina’s withdrawal due to a viral illness.
Despite having no chance to advance, Kostyuk will play Gauff on Thursday for the opportunity to avoid an 0-3 round-robin record and to earn an additional $230,000 in prize money. The final Group 1 standings will be determined by Thursday’s results.
The remaining Group 1 berth will come down to Coco Gauff or Jessica Pegula, with Thursday’s matches deciding who joins Noskova in the semifinals.
