Coco Gauff made the sharper start to the WTA Finals, overcoming fellow American Jessica Pegula in three sets, but the opening day also underlined how little margin there is for players managing fatigue or injury at the end of the season.

Gauff, the 2024 champion, beat Pegula 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 in Indian Wells after surrendering a 5-1 lead in the second set. She recovered to dominate the decider, saying she was proud to win despite arriving with no tournament preparation. “It was a tough match. I was having a lot of fun,” Gauff said.¹

The account of the match emphasized Gauff’s athleticism and ability to reset after Pegula forced a tie-break, while also noting the significance of her fifth consecutive Finals appearance at age 22. Pegula, who had not played much since the US Open, showed her quality in the second set but could not sustain it through the third.¹

Another account focused more closely on Pegula’s explanation for that late drop-off. After needing an hour more than expected to convert the second set, she said the effort “definitely didn't bode well for me going to the third,” because it had required “a massive amount of energy.”²

In the day’s other group match, Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova defeated Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-4. Kostyuk entered as a late alternate after world number one Elena Rybakina withdrew because of illness. Although she lost, Kostyuk said the match marked a welcome change after a three-month wrist problem: “I’m happy to be back on court.”²

Gauff next faces Noskova, while Pegula plays Kostyuk in the round-robin stage, where recovery may prove as consequential as early momentum.