Coco Gauff made a winning start to her WTA Finals campaign, overcoming compatriot Jessica Pegula in a three-set battle at Indian Wells in California on Sunday.
The American duo produced a closely fought contest, with neither willing to give much away. Gauff edged the opening set after breaking Pegula in the final game, but the latter fought back strongly in the second. Pegula recovered from a 5-1 deficit, saved a match point at 6-5 and won the tie-break to take the match into a decider.
Gauff responded well in the final set, breaking Pegula in the opening game to take a 3-0 lead. She added another break later in the set before wrapping up a 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 victory. The win puts Gauff at the top of Group 1 with one victory and extends her winning streak against Pegula to three matches, all coming this season. She now leads their head-to-head record 6-5.
"I'm really proud of myself for this one," Gauff said after the match. "To play a tournament like this with no preparation is something I've never done in my career, but I'm just really happy to get through.
"It was a tough match. I was having a lot of fun." The 22-year-old was playing her first match since her round-of-16 exit at the China Open on October 7. She is also the youngest player to make five consecutive appearances at the WTA Finals since Martina Hingis in 2000.
Gauff acknowledged the challenge of facing Pegula, with whom she has shared several close battles on the tour. "Jess is an incredible player. We always go back and forth," she said.
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"Today the key was just trying to be aggressive, but I also had to run a lot.
"My shoes are pretty torn up now. Some of my shoes are somewhere on the court there. So I'll have to change shoes tomorrow." Gauff will be looking to add another WTA Finals title to her collection after lifting the trophy in 2024. She has won one singles title this season, beating Pegula in the Cincinnati Open final in August.
Pegula, meanwhile, has enjoyed another consistent season, winning titles in Dubai and Charleston. The 32-year-old is also just four wins behind Elena Rybakina's tour-leading tally of 54 victories this year.
Earlier, Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova also began her campaign with a straight-sets victory, defeating Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-4. The 21-year-old Czech converted all four of her break points to get past the Ukrainian.
Kostyuk entered the draw as a late replacement for world No. 1 Elena Rybakina, who withdrew on Saturday due to illness. Gauff will next face Noskova, while Pegula will take on Kostyuk as the Group 1 matches continue. The top two players from each group will advance to the semi-finals, with the final scheduled for November 15.
