Coco Gauff Defeats Marta Kostyuk but Is Eliminated From WTA Finals

Coco Gauff secured a straight-sets victory of 6-4, 7-5 against Marta Kostyuk on Thursday at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, but Jessica Pegula’s subsequent win over Linda Noskova eliminated the defending champion from semifinal contention, ESPN Chile reported.

Back-to-back sets decide Group 1 fate

Gauff needed a victory in her final round-robin match to keep her tournament hopes alive after splitting her opening two matches in Group 1. The fourth-ranked American fought through a tense opening hour against Kostyuk, who entered the match already eliminated and dealing with a right wrist issue that required a medical timeout during the first set, as France 24 reported.

Kostyuk entered the tournament at the last minute as an alternate after world number one Elena Rybakina withdrew a day before the start of the competition due to health problems. Kostyuk broke Gauff twice in the opening frame before dropping the set 6-4.

AN INCREDIBLE COMEBACK 😤@CocoGauff secures the win over Kostyuk in straight sets 6-4, 7-5!#FAGEWTAFinals | #TheUltimateStage pic.twitter.com/F6IU95s9MV

— Post by @WTA on X

The encounter lasted 1 hour and 39 minutes on the hard courts in California, according to Europa Press. Gauff broke serve three times in the first set while landing 52% of her first serves. In the second set, Gauff maintained a 100% first-serve appearance rate while winning 57% of those points, despite dropping serve twice to her opponent.

Medical treatment and a 5-1 deficit

Trouble mounted for Gauff in the second set when lower back pain flared up, forcing her to call for the tournament physiotherapist. Kostyuk capitalized on the physical dip to race out to a 5-1 lead, holding three set points when she led 5-2, Punto de Break noted. Gauff saved those set points and mounted a six-game winning streak, capitalizing on a sudden string of unforced errors from the Ukrainian player.

UNBELIEVABLE FIGHT 💪@CocoGauff completes a spectacular second-set comeback from 1-5 down to defeat Kostyuk!#FAGEWTAFinals | #TheUltimateStage pic.twitter.com/v5hhScMHCw

— Post by @WTA on X

After falling behind 2-5 with her serve, Gauff won 15 out of 20 points played and closed out the match against the Ukrainian, according to ESPN Chile. Kostyuk entered a negative spiral, disconnected, and failed to win a single further game against a Gauff who could not play or move at 100%, as Punto de Break detailed.

Ahora está por ver el alcance de la lesión de Gauff, si se queda en molestias o, por el contrario, le impiden jugar las semifinales, siempre y cuando Noskova gane a Pegula.

“I have a car and five million reasons for wanting to try to win,” Gauff laughed when discussing the event’s prize money with France 24. “I was joking. The truth is I just try to compete. It’s the end of the season, so I try to give it my all. Maybe if this match were in the middle of the season, I might not have finished it,” she told France 24.

Coco Gauff Defeats Marta Kostyuk but Is Eliminated From WTA Finals — Photo: France 24

Pegula and Noskova seal the group standings

Although Gauff completed her 2-1 group stage record, her fate rested entirely on the outcome of the match between compatriot Jessica Pegula and Czech player Linda Noskova, Mundo Deportivo reported. Gauff needed Noskova to defeat Pegula to secure the second qualifying spot behind the Czech Republic player. Instead, Pegula defeated Noskova, creating a three-way tie in the group standings determined by sets won percentage.

That tiebreak formula pushed Gauff down to third place in Group 1. The 2024 tournament champion thus exits the year-end championships prior to the semifinals for the second season.