Jessica Pegula was a single point from packing her bags. Serving at 4-5 in the deciding set against Linda Noskova in Indian Wells, the American double-faulted to hand the Czech a match point. She erased it, held for 5-5, broke in the next game and sealed a three-set victory, taking the first set in a tiebreak, losing the second 4-6 and edging the decider 7-5. The battle lasted almost three hours and earned her a place in the last four of the WTA Finals.
The last woman to survive a match point and still win at the year-end championships was Simona Halep, seven years ago. Pegula built her comeback on her serve, firing a career-best 16 aces, while Noskova, this year’s Wimbledon champion, struggled with a career-worst 15 double faults. Afterwards she said she had reminded herself that this might be her final outing of the season and that she should simply fight.
Her win came at the expense of a compatriot. Coco Gauff had done her part earlier in the day, beating Marta Kostyuk in straight sets after a run of six straight games turned around a big deficit in the second, but the three-way tie at two wins each in the group was settled on sets. Noskova topped the standings, and Pegula edged Gauff five sets to four for the second semifinal spot. Never before had Pegula reached the knockout stage here after a defeat in her first group match.
Saturday’s semifinal against 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva comes with a back story. Before the event, Pegula was caught on a practice livestream describing the Russian as a “diva” in need of being brought down a peg, remarks she later apologized for. The two have never met on tour. Pegula joked that fans had wanted exactly this matchup and would now get it. Noskova’s opponent will be decided on Friday, when Sabalenka meets Svitolina in the last group game.
