Coco Gauff beats Marta Kostiuk to keep WTA Finals semi-final hopes alive
Coco Gauff beat Marta Kostiuk 6–4, 7–5 in the final group-stage match of the WTA Finals in Indian Wells. She was 1–5 down in the second set but recovered and still has a chance of reaching the semi-finals.
Author: Thames Compass editorial teamPublished: 1 min read
The match took place on Thursday 12 November 2026 as part of Group 1 at the WTA Finals. The American went into it under pressure. She had beaten Jessica Pegula in three sets earlier, but lost to Linda Noskova in two sets, which complicated her position in the group.
A shaky start and an even first set
Gauff began with two double faults and was broken straight away. Kostiuk quickly broke back, and Gauff levelled and then took the lead. The Ukrainian took a medical timeout for a painful wrist but returned to court. Gauff won the first set 6–4.
A second set on the edge
In the second set Kostiuk led 3–0, then 5–1, and it seemed she would force a decider. Gauff also had a medical timeout, but after it she clawed back the deficit. A run of six straight games gave her a 7–5 win in the set and the match.
What comes next in the group
Gauff has two wins and one defeat in the group. To reach the semi-finals she needed not only a win over Kostiuk but also a favourable result in the Noskova–Pegula match. Kostiuk had no chance of progressing. It was her debut at the WTA Finals, and this season she reached the semi-finals of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, among other results. Gauff is the 2024 champion.
Sources
This article was prepared with the help of AI from the listed sources and checked by our editors before publication.
Photos
- Cover: „tennis ball, tennis player, tennis racket, athletic, tennis”, author: planet_fox, licence Pixabay Content License; cropped or resized.
- Photo 1: „tennis, ball, racket, court, racquet”, author: No-longer-here, licence Pixabay Content License; cropped or resized.
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