Two matches into her first appearance at the season finale, Linda Noskova has already booked her place in the last four. The Czech beat Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3 at Indian Wells on Tuesday, needing just 75 minutes and finishing, fittingly, with an ace.
What decided it was how she handled Gauff’s delivery. She took the American’s serve on five occasions, four times before the opening set was over, and pocketed 18 of 24 points whenever Gauff had to rely on a second delivery. The American, who ended with eight aces and eight double faults, said she wished she had served better early on, since constant pressure on her own service games made everything harder.
Not since Petra Kvitova in 2011 has anyone so young reached the last four at a first attempt; the Wimbledon champion is 21, and the win was her sixth against a top-10 opponent this season. She had not even been aware of the milestone. She laughed that she had no idea she was through, saying her thoughts had already moved on to her next match.
Earlier in Group 1, Jessica Pegula ended a winless run stretching back to September with a 6-2, 7-5 success over Marta Kostyuk in an untidy contest featuring seven breaks. The result eliminates Kostyuk, a late alternate for the injured Elena Rybakina who has been nursing a wrist problem since August.
The second semi-final ticket will be decided on Thursday. Gauff must beat Kostyuk, against whom she leads their head-to-head 4-2, while Noskova faces Pegula, having won three of their four previous meetings.
