Pegula Saves Match Point to Reach WTA Finals Semifinals as Gauff Is Eliminated

Jessica Pegula saved a match point to beat Linda Noskova in the final group match at the WTA Finals on Thursday. The win took her out of her round-robin group into the semifinals, while fellow American Coco Gauff was knocked out of the season-ending championships.

Pegula won 7-6 (7/2), 4-6, 7-5 against Noskova. In a battle lasting two hours and 45 minutes, Pegula hit a career-high 16 aces, while Wimbledon champion Noskova made a career-high 15 double faults.

Noskova, Gauff and Pegula all finished 2-1 in the group, while alternate Marta Kostyuk went 0-3. On sets, Noskova finished top of the group at 5-2, followed by Pegula at 5-3 and Gauff at 4-3. On that count, Gauff was eliminated from the season-ending championships.

After the match, Pegula told reporters she had learned that sometimes the serve feels good and sometimes it does not, and how to manage the days when it does not and to ride it when she is serving well. She said she did not serve that well in her first couple of matches and served great today.

In the semifinals on Saturday, Pegula will face Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva. It will be the first meeting between the two. Pegula said it was the match people wanted, and now they were going to get it.

Pegula had earlier called Andreeva 'a diva' who 'needs to be humbled' during a practice session, without realising her remarks were being livestreamed. In the same comments she also praised the world number three, and she apologised afterwards to those involved. On Thursday she said Andreeva is fast, has a great serve, is strong, hits the ball pretty hard, and is smart.

Earlier in the day, Gauff beat Kostyuk 6-4, 7-5. After sealing the first set with a stab volley, Gauff rallied from 1-5 down in the second set, winning six games in a row to close out the match. She needed treatment on her back during the second set.

Gauff said she was fully prepared to play a third set. She said it is the last tournament of the season, so she wanted to finish on a high note and give herself the best chance to play the semifinals.

Kostyuk joined the eight-player tournament as an alternate after top-ranked Elena Rybakina withdrew due to illness. Kostyuk, who won the Madrid title and reached the French Open semifinals, was already eliminated coming into the match against Gauff, having lost to Noskova and Pegula. She failed to win a set in her three matches as she struggled with a wrist injury.