Gauff wins six straight games from 5-1 down to beat Kostyuk and keep WTA Finals hopes alive
Coco Gauff came back from 5-1 down in the second set, after a medical timeout for her back, to beat Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 7-5 at the WTA Finals. She now needs Linda Noskova to beat Jessica Pegula.
Coco Gauff, WTA Finals 2026 | © Charles Baus/CSM/Shutterstock
Update: Gauff is out of the WTA Finals. Pegula saved a match point to beat Noskova 7-6 (2), 4-6, 7-5 later on Thursday, and the three players finished tied at 2-1. Noskova and Pegula go through on percentage of sets won.
Coco Gauff beat Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 7-5 in Group 1 of the WTA Finals in Indian Wells on Thursday, winning the last six games of the match after trailing 5-1 in the second set. The American, who was treated for her lower back during the match, needed Linda Noskova to beat Jessica Pegula later on Thursday to reach the semi-finals.
| Rank | Player | Country | W-L | Sets | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Linda Noskova[8] 
|
|
2-1 | 5-2 | 41-30 |
| 2 |
Jessica Pegula[5]
|
|
2-1 | 5-3 | 44-42 |
| Semi-finals | |||||
| 3 |
Coco Gauff[4]
|
|
2-1 | 4-3 | 37-34 |
| 4 |
Marta Kostyuk[9]
|
|
0-3 | 0-6 | 22-38 |
“I don’t even know how I came back from 5-1,” Gauff said. “Not going to lie, my head was already in the third set. Just glad I could close it out.”
From 5-1 down to six games in a row
Gauff took the first set after moving from 2-1 to 5-2, before Kostyuk won two games in a row to make it 5-4. The American closed it out 6-4.
The second set turned the other way. Kostyuk raced to a 3-0 lead, at which point Gauff took a medical timeout. She was later seen working with the trainer on her lower back, which she said was stiff and bothered her mostly on serve. Kostyuk extended her lead to 5-1 and Gauff looked in trouble.
But the Ukrainian lost her way completely from there. Gauff broke back for 5-3, won eight points in a row to level at 5-5 and broke again to close out the match in 1 hour 40 minutes, despite nine double faults.
Gauff now leads their head-to-head 5-2. Kostyuk, the alternate who replaced defending champion Elena Rybakina, ends her week without a win and has now lost seven matches in a row.
Gauff needed Noskova to beat Pegula
Noskova had already clinched her semi-final spot. A Noskova win would have sent Gauff through as group runner-up, but Pegula won, and the three players finished tied at 2-1. Pegula took second place on percentage of sets won, five won and three lost, against four and three for Gauff.
Gauff, the 2024 champion, was chasing her third semi-final at the WTA Finals. Her season is now over.
