WTA Finals
Jessica Pegula saved a match point to beat Linda Nosková 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-5 on Thursday 12 November and reach the semi-finals of the WTA Finals, and her win knocked out Coco Gauff. Gauff beat Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 7-5 in the first match of the day, but Gauff, Pegula and Nosková all finished Group 1 with two wins, and Gauff had the lowest percentage of sets won.
Pegula Saves a Match Point
Pegula and Nosková played for two hours and 45 minutes, and the match could hardly have been closer: Pegula won 130 points and Nosková 128. Pegula took the first set on a tie-break, 7-2, and Nosková levelled by taking the second 6-4. In the third Nosková had a match point, Pegula saved it, and she won the last three games. Pegula hit a career-high 16 aces. Nosková served 15 double faults, and each player was broken five times.
It was a rematch of this year’s Berlin final, which Nosková won.
How Gauff Went Out
Gauff needed to beat Kostyuk and then needed help. She won 6-4, 7-5 in an hour and 40 minutes, with Kostyuk serving nine double faults, and that gave Gauff a 2-1 record. Pegula’s win then left three players level on two wins, and the places were decided on the percentage of sets won:
| Group 1 | W-L | Sets |
|---|---|---|
| Linda Nosková (group winner) | 2-1 | 5-2 |
| Jessica Pegula (second) | 2-1 | 5-3 |
| Coco Gauff (out) | 2-1 | 4-3 |
| Marta Kostyuk (out) | 0-3 | 0-6 |
Gauff won four sets to Pegula’s five, and her 6-3, 6-3 defeat by Nosková on Tuesday was the difference. Kostyuk, who came in as the first alternate when Elena Rybakina withdrew, lost all three of her matches.
Doubles
Taylor Townsend and Kateřina Siniaková reached the doubles semi-finals when Cristina Bucsa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez retired with Townsend and Siniaková leading 6-2, 4-2. Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini beat Ellen Perez and Demi Schuurs 6-3, 6-4 to win the group with three wins from three.
The Semi-Finals
The semi-finals are on Saturday 14 November. Pegula plays the Group 2 winner, Mirra Andreeva, and Nosková plays the winner of Friday’s match between Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina, the second match of the day after an 8pm UK start. Andreeva plays Karolína Muchová first, with nothing at stake for her place. The final is on Sunday 15 November. Our WTA Finals semi-final tips have our picks.
Wednesday’s results are in our day four report. The WTA Finals are live on Sky Sports Tennis and NOW in the UK; our live-stream guide has the details.