Coco Gauff was eliminated from the WTA Finals on Thursday despite winning her last match at the tournament.
The 22-year-old American emerged victorious in her third and final group stage match against Marta Kostyuk, 6-4, 7-5, but ultimately had her fate decided by compatriot Jessica Pegula. Pegula’s gritty three-set win over Linda Noskova came at the expense of Gauff, who ended up third in the group.
Following her exit, Gauff took to Instagram to say: “Bittersweet ending to a great tournament. Proud of myself for how I competed this week… sometimes things are out of your hands, and that’s okay. Always an honour to be a part of and compete against the top eight players in the world.
“Still have the Billie Jean King Cup next week in my hometown. Delray, I’ll see you soon.” Gauff won her opening match at the WTA Finals against Pegula, triumphing in a tight three-setter. She was then handed a 6-3, 6-3 defeat by Wimbledon champion Noskova.
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Gauff’s exit marks her second consecutive round-robin finish at the WTA Finals, having also crashed out in the group stage last year. Gauff won the WTA Finals for the first time back in 2024, when she beat Qinwen Zheng in the final to clinch the prestigious title.
Gauff’s last tournament of the season will be the Billie Jean King Cup playoffs next week, where the USA will take on Hungary. Gauff will join Madison Keys, Ann Li, Taylor Townsend and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in Delray Beach for the tie.
The semifinals of the 2026 WTA Finals in Indian Wells
With Gauff out, Pegula and Noskova will advance to the semifinals of the WTA Finals. Pegula is bidding to reach the championship match of the tournament for the second time in her career, having managed it back in 2023.
Pegula will take on Mirra Andreeva for the first time in the semifinals in Indian Wells. Meanwhile, Noskova will face either Elina Svitolina or former world number one Aryna Sabalenka, with those two set to battle it on Friday.
Noskova is looking to cap off her best-ever season with a WTA Finals triumph, following her Wimbledon victory in the summer.
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