By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Photo credit: Screen Shot
Wimbledon winner Linda Noskova punished Coco Gauff’s second serve in a WTA Finals sweep.
Noskova broke Gauff four times in the opening set of a 6-3, 6-3 sweep to secure a semifinal spot in her debut at the prestigious season-ending event.
The 2024 champion Gauff, the only former WTA Finals champion in the field, lost 20 of the first 22 points played on her second serve beneath the bright sun on a sweltering Indian Wells day.
Gauff dropped serve at love to open the match and spent the rest of the match trying to play catch up.
Afterward, Gauff said smarter situational serving, rather than a technical issue, will be her focus moving forward. Through two tournament matches her three-set win over Jessica Pegula and loss to Noskova, Gauff is winning 41 percent of second serve points. Noskova leads the tournament, winning 55 percent of her second-serve points.
“I don’t think it was technical. I think I was just going overhitting than I needed to,” Gauff said of her serve. “And then actually I started to go a little bit more placement serving towards the end of the second, and I was holding much easier.
“But at that time, I was already down a break, so it’s a little bit too late.”
Two-time Grand Slam champion Gauff can still qualify for the semifinals if she beats Marta Kostyuk in her final Group 1 round-robin match on Thursday. Kostyuk, who stepped in as an alternate after world No. 1 Elena Rybakina withdrew due to a virus and health concerns, is eliminated from semifinal contention after her loss to Pegula.
“Marta, I mean, she’s a great player. I know it’s tough coming in last-minute and having to play, but it’s a bonus match for her, so I expect her to play high-level tennis, free tennis,” Gauff said. “Yeah, she’s never easy to play. But I think, especially when there’s no pressure and anything, it’s going to be even harder.”
0 comments