Coco Gauff Defeats Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2 at WTA Finals

Coco Gauff improved her career record against Jessica Pegula to 6-5 after a three-set victory in the 2026 WTA Finals opening round.

Coco Gauff defeated Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2 on Sunday to open her 2026 WTA Finals campaign at Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The No. 4 seed required 2 hours and 39 minutes to secure the victory in Group 1 round-robin play. Gauff, the 2024 champion, saved three break points from 0-40 down while tied 4-4 in the opening set before breaking Pegula in the next game to take the lead.

Pegula established a 5-1 advantage in the second set, but Gauff responded by winning five consecutive games to reach match point at 5-6. Pegula saved the match point and forced a tiebreaker, which she won with a forehand return winner to level the contest. In the deciding set, Gauff won the first three games and eventually converted her third match point opportunity following a missed overhead by Pegula.

The tournament was relocated to Indian Wells from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, due to instability in the Middle East. World No. 1 Elena Rybakina, the defending champion and winner of the 2026 Australian and US Opens, withdrew from the field due to a viral illness. She was replaced by alternate Marta Kostyuk.

Gauff will next face No. 8 seed Linda Noskova, who defeated Kostyuk 6-2, 6-4 earlier in the day. Pegula is scheduled to play Kostyuk in her second round-robin match. The season-ending championships are slated to move to Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2027.