Coco Gauff shredded her shoes but stayed one step ahead of Jessica Pegula to defeat her compatriot 6-4, 6-7 (7-5),?6-2 on the first day of the WTA Finals at Indian Wells on Sunday, while Czech Linda Noskova got the better of Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-4.
Gauff had beaten Pegula three months ago in Cincinnati, Ohio,?and had the right formula once again, as the 2024 winner showed superb versatility in a round-robin clash between the top two Americans in the season-ending championship.
The frequent rivals were 5-5 in their head-to-head record before Sunday and appeared perfectly matched through a tight opening set, where Gauff got the break from the baseline on the fourth set point.
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