Pegula keeps WTA Finals hopes alive, Kostyuk eliminated
Jessica Pegula beat Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 7-5 at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells on Tuesday.
Jessica Pegula won 6-2, 7-5 against Marta Kostyuk at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, keeping her semi-final hopes alive while Kostyuk was eliminated from Group 1.
Key takeaways
- Pegula defeated Kostyuk 6-2, 7-5 in one hour and 29 minutes.
- Kostyuk was eliminated from semi-final contention in Group 1.
- Pegula lost her opening match to Coco Gauff in three sets.
- Kostyuk replaced Elena Rybakina after Rybakina withdrew through illness.
- Pegula will next face Linda Noskova on Thursday.
Jessica Pegula kept her hopes alive of reaching the semi-finals of the WTA Finals with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Marta Kostyuk on Tuesday, as Group 1 action continued at the season-ending tournament in Indian Wells, California.
The straight-sets win lasted one hour and 29 minutes and eliminated Kostyuk from knockout-round contention. Pegula, seeded fifth, had lost her opening match to compatriot Coco Gauff in three sets on Sunday.
Kostyuk entered the draw as an alternate, replacing world number one Elena Rybakina after the Kazakh withdrew through illness. Pegula made an immediate statement, breaking Kostyuk in the opening game before securing another break to take the first set comfortably.
She carried that momentum into the second, breaking again in the opening game, but the Ukrainian fought back as the pair exchanged breaks twice to remain level. Kostyuk’s resistance ultimately faltered, with Pegula finding another break late in the set before serving out the match.
A costly double fault from Kostyuk proved decisive in the closing stages, allowing Pegula to break at 5-5 in the second set.
The world number 10 faced Pegula on a five-match losing streak and had been struggling with a right wrist injury that had troubled her since the hard-court swing.
Kostyuk had also beaten Pegula in both of their previous meetings this year, in Brisbane and Madrid, but was unable to reproduce that form.
Context
The WTA Finals is the season-ending championship of the WTA Tour and is the most significant tennis event in the women’s annual calendar after the four majors. It features the top eight singles players and top eight doubles teams based on their results throughout the season.
The eighth spot is reserved, if needed, for a player or team who won a major in the current year and is ranked from ninth to twentieth.
The 2026 WTA Finals is scheduled to run from November 8 to 15 in Indian Wells, United States, and will be the 55th edition of the singles event and the 50th edition of the doubles competition.
The tournament is contested by the eight highest-ranked singles players and doubles teams of the 2026 WTA Tour.
What happens next
Pegula remains in contention to advance to the knockout stage of the tournament. She will prepare for Linda Noskova in a Berlin final rematch on Thursday.
Related on Apex Sports News
Sources
Topics
Spotted an error? Read our corrections policy or use the flag button above. Our editorial standards explain how we report.
Discussion
Sign in or create a free account to join the discussion. Please follow our community guidelines.