Indian Wells:Coco Gauff emerged victorious against fellow American Jessica Pegula in a gripping group stage opener at the WTA Finals, clinching the match with a score of 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 at Indian Wells.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Gauff, a two-time major winner, faced a challenging second set where she trailed 5-1. However, she managed to save three set points in the 10th game and won five consecutive games to gain a 6-5 advantage. Pegula countered by denying a match point and forcing a tie-breaker, securing a third set with a forehand return winner.
In the decisive third set, Gauff took an early 3-0 lead and maintained her dominance, ultimately securing the match after two hours and 39 minutes when Pegula hit a backhand out of bounds. Gauff expressed her satisfaction with the win, highlighting the difficulty of the match and her lack of preparation due to a month's break from competition.
Gauff, who has won the US Open in 2023 and the French Open in 2025, had previously faced Pegula ten times, with each player winning five matches. Gauff's recent victories over Pegula included the Cincinnati final and a Wimbledon quarter-final earlier this year.
In another Group One match, reigning Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova defeated Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-4. Noskova, a 21-year-old player from the Czech Republic, took just 86 minutes to overcome Ukraine's Kostyuk, improving her record against Kostyuk to 3-1 for this year.
The WTA Finals, originally set to be held in Saudi Arabia, were moved to Indian Wells following US military strikes on Iran in February and the ensuing conflict in the region.