By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, November 12, 2026
Photo credit: Pete Staples/USTA/US Open
In a dramatic do or die clash, a defiant Jessica Pegula refused to let match point stress deny her mission.
Pegula saved match point at 4-5 in the final set, sparking a three-game surge to edge Linda Noskova 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-5 and secure her semifinal spot at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells.
A two hour, 45-minute thriller ended with Noskova’s return crashing into the tape before dribbling back on her side of the net.
Pegula pumped a career-high 16 aces, while Wimbledon winner Noskova clanked a career-worst 15 double faults as the fifth seed beat the Czech for the second time in five meetings.
“I needed to survive—I saved a match point, I forgot about that,” Pegula told Andrew Krasny in her on-court interview. “I’m so happy to be back in the semis here in the Finals.
“Linda is such a great player. Every time we’ve play, it’s literally the same match. She’s a Grand Slam champion, she’s a great player. She did a great job of turning the match around in the second set and I had to do the same in the third.”
It is the third WTA semifinal appearance for Pegula, whose gritty win spells loss for former doubles partner Coco Gauff.
The fifth-seeded Pegula’s win knocks Gauff, who beat Marta Kostyuk, 6-4, 7-5 in today’s first round-robin match, out of the semifinals.
The 32-year-old Pegula will face 19-year-old Group 2 winner Mirra Andreeva for a spot in Sunday’s final. The 2023 finalist Pegula is playing for her second trip to the WTA finals.
The Pegula-Andreeva clash, dubbed the “Diva Duel” because the American was caught on a hot mic branding the Russian “a diva” during a pre-tournament practice sesson that went viral, will be the first meeting between the pair.
“The storyline just write themselves: it’s the match people wanted now you’re going to get it,” Pegula told Tennis Channel’s Tracy Austin afterward. “She’s playing great. I watched her play Sabalenka. She’s such an efficient player.
“She moves efficiently, she’s fast, I think she has a great serve, she’s strong, she hits the ball pretty hard and she’s smart. You can see how efficient she made her tennis look against Sabalenka. I’m gonna do my best.
“We literally only practiced together twice and we never played each other. I think it will be a good match…Maybe she’s turned me into a diva.”
As the Group 1 winner, Noskova will face either two-time finalist Aryna Sabalenka or 2018 champion Elina Svitolina in Saturday’s semifinals.
The 21-year-old Czech is youngest player to reach the WTA Finals semifinals on her tournament debut since compatriot Petra Kvitova in 2011.
Stepping into the court, Pegula redirected a backhand down the line saving the first break point of the match. Pegula stood tall holding for 2-1.
When Noskova slapped a flat forehand into net, Pegula drew first-break blood for 3-1.
Recalibrating her forehand with deep drives down the middle, Noskova rattled out errors breaking back. Pegula pounded down successive stinging serves holding for 4-3.
Thirty-three minutes into the match, Pegula shortened up her backswing and laced a return off the baseline for a second break point in the eighth game. An assertive Noskova slammed a forehand swing volley to save it. A Noskova double fault forced her to face a third break point. Pegula attacked and angled off a high backhand volley scoring her second break for 5-3.
Flat strikes and the skill to change direction down the line make Noskova dangerous on all surfaces. Hammering a forehand down the line, Noskova broke back in the ninth game.
Indian Wells semifinalist Noskova aced her way into the first-set tie break.
Back-pedalling, Noskova bungled a smash wide—her first error at net—as Pegula snatched the mini break and a 2-1 lead. Stepping into the court, Pegula slammed a forehand winner for 5-2.
On her first set point, Pegula closed the 57-minute first set when Noskova’s backhand sailed wide.
In a gritty hold, Noskova launched heavy serves saving three break points to hold for a 2-1 second-set advantage.
Frustrated by the depth of Pegula’s returns, Noskova double-faulted away the break and a 3-2 second-set lead. Noskova answered with a two-game run to level the set.
Deadlocked 4-All, Pegula snapped off a slick forehand return winner for a third break point. Noskova used the doubled-handed backhand dropper and backhand pass to save it then smacked an ace down the T.
Angling off a backhand return gave Noskova a set point. When Pegula pushed a forehand long, the Czech forced a final set. Noskova saved six of seven break points in the set.
The second-set win clinched the Group 1 top spot for Noskova, who had dropped just 12 games in round robin wins over Coco Gauff and Marta Kostyuk.
Firing that flashy forehand drive volley, Noskova converted her fourth break point for a 2-0 lead in the decider.
Still, the Czech lost the range on serve spitting up successive double faults—she hit three double faults in the game—to hand back the break. By then, Noskova had hit 13 double faults.
Staring down match point serving at 4-5, Pegula saved it when Noskova sent a rally forehand long. Pegula pumped some heavy serves holding to level at 5-All prompting chants of “Let’s Go Jess!” from Indian Wells fans.
A gritty Pegula relied on her legs, running down everything the Czech hit, and drawing a netted response to break for 6-5.
A stretched Noskova sent a lunging return long as Pegula earned match point. Noskova’s forehand return crashed into the tape and plopped back on her side as Pegula clinched her final four spot.
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