Gauff survives shoe drama and Pegula tie-break to open WTA Finals with win

Coco Gauff produced a display of raw resilience to defeat fellow American Jessica Pegula in three sets, marking a winning start to the WTA Finals. According to BBC News ^[1], the 2024 champion overcame Pegula 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 in a gritty encounter at Indian Wells, California.

Gauff, 22, admitted she had not competed since the China Open in early October, making this her first tournament appearance without recent match practice. "To play a tournament like this with no preparation is something I've never done in my career," Gauff said after the match. "But I'm just really happy to get through."

The contest was far from smooth. Gauff recovered from three break points down to hold in the first set, but Pegula surged ahead in the second, winning three of Gauff's opening service games. Pegula, 32, wasted three set points and two break points, slamming her racquet into the ground in frustration after a missed opportunity. She survived a match point on her own serve to force the tie-break, which she took.

However, Gauff dominated the deciding set, winning the first three games comfortably before converting her third match point with an emotional roar. The physical toll was evident; Gauff joked that her footwear had suffered. "My shoes are pretty torn up now," she said. "Some of my shoes are somewhere on the court there. So I'll have to change shoes tomorrow."

This victory extends Gauff's record as the youngest player to appear in five consecutive WTA Finals since Martina Hingis in 2000. Pegula, meanwhile, remains one of the tour's most consistent performers, having won titles in Dubai and Charleston this season. She sits only four wins behind Elena Rybakina’s tour-leading 54 victories, despite playing only one match since the US Open in September.

The tournament faced a shake-up before it began, with world number one Rybakina withdrawing on Saturday due to illness. This allowed Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk a late entry, though she fell to Czech Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova in the opening match. Noskova, 21, defeated Kostyuk 6-2 6-4, converting all four of her break points.

Gauff will face Noskova next. The WTA Finals feature the top eight players of the season, and Gauff’s win sets up a crucial second-round clash. Pegula, who also reached the semi-finals of the Australian and US Opens this year, will look to bounce back in her remaining group matches. The drama on court was matched by off-court tension, as the WTA chair later apologised to Pegula for the airing of a 'diva' comment, according to reports.