Gauff Holds Her Nerve to Defeat Pegula, Starts WTA Finals with Impressive Win

Coco Gauff made a winning start to her 2026 WTA Finals campaign, overcoming fellow American Jessica Pegula in a hard-fought three-set encounter at Indian Wells on Sunday.

The fourth-seeded Gauff defeated Pegula 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2 after a gripping contest lasting two hours and 39 minutes at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The victory improved her career head-to-head record against Pegula to 6-5 and gave the 22-year-old an important opening win in the eight-player season-ending tournament.

The match was far from straightforward for Gauff, who was playing her first competitive match in more than a month. She showed composure under pressure in the opening set, saving three break points while trailing 0-40 at 4-4. She then broke Pegula in the following game to take the first set 6-4.

Pegula fought back strongly in the second set, racing to a 5-1 lead. However, Gauff produced an impressive comeback, winning five consecutive games to move within a point of victory at 6-5. Pegula held her nerve in the tiebreak, winning it 7-5 with a forehand return winner to force a deciding set.

Gauff regained control in the third, winning the first three games and building a 5-2 advantage. Although Pegula continued to battle, a missed overhead gave Gauff two more match points. The American converted her third opportunity to seal the victory with a roar of celebration.

Gauff, who won the WTA Finals in 2024 and is a two-time Grand Slam champion, said staying aggressive and maintaining a positive mindset were crucial to her performance.

She will next face Linda Noskova, the eighth seed and reigning Wimbledon champion, who opened her campaign with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over alternate Marta Kostyuk.

Kostyuk replaced world No. 1 Elena Rybakina, who withdrew from the tournament because of a viral illness. Rybakina was the defending champion.

The tournament is being held at Indian Wells after being moved from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, amid instability in the Middle East. The WTA Finals will move to Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2027.