Noskova beats Gauff to reach WTA Finals semi-finals — BBC Sport

Czech tennis player Linda Noskova defeated American Coco Gauff 6:3, 6:3 in California, USA, becoming the first to secure a place in the WTA Finals semi-finals. It is the 21-year-old Noskova's debut appearance at the WTA Finals.

Noskova's convincing victory

The world number eight broke Gauff's serve four times in the first set alone. Noskova played aggressively and served confidently, making one unforced error in the second set. She finished the match with an ace.

After the match, Noskova joked that the support from California fans was louder after the match than during it. She also said that she stayed in the match throughout the entire encounter. As BBC Sport reports, this was the Czech player's sixth victory over a top-10-ranked tennis player this season. In July, she won her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.

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Gauff's chances and Pegula's victory

Gauff, who is ranked fourth in the world, still retains a chance of reaching the semi-finals, as does her compatriot Jessica Pegula. In the match against Noskova, Gauff hit eight aces and made eight double faults, winning only six of 24 points on her second serve.

Earlier in the first group, Pegula defeated Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk 6:2, 7:5 and ended her chances of continuing in the tournament. Kostyuk, who has had a wrist injury since August, learned of her participation in the competition only on Saturday after world number one Elena Rybakina withdrew. In the match against Pegula, the Ukrainian made 17 unforced errors, while the American made five.