Gauff beats Kostyuk to stay alive in WTA Finals

Coco Gauff secured a crucial 6-4, 7-5 round-robin win over Marta Kostyuk on Thursday, keeping her path open in the WTA Finals held in Indian Wells, California. Despite being the world number four, Gauff still requires assistance to advance to the semi-finals. If her fellow American Jessica Pegula defeats Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova in the final group one match, Pegula will take her place.

Noskova has already advanced. Gauff's victory was marked by her resilience, saving three set points in the seventh game to break Kostyuk's serve for a run of six consecutive games. Trailing 5-1 in the second set, Gauff saved a medical timeout for Kostyuk, who was dealing with a wrist injury. After the wrist was taped, Kostyuk regained her composure, holding serve and breaking Gauff during her second service attempt.

Though Gauff faced nine double faults, she managed to prevail in one hour and 39 minutes. Gauff admitted her struggles, saying her head was already in the third set when her score was 5-1. However, she managed to rally in the second set, eventually sealing the match with some luck.