First place in Group 1 of the WTA Finals is up for grabs on Tuesday as Linda Noskova and Coco Gauff square off at the Indian Wells Gardens.

Both women won their openers, with Noskova beating Marta Kostyuk 6-2 6-4 and her upcoming American opponent defeating Jessica Pegula 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-2.

Match preview

It was a physically demanding and mentally challenging opening match for Coco Gauff, who ultimately rose to the occasion when needed.

The 2024 WTA Finals champion converted seven break-point opportunities and won 60 receiving points to pull ahead.

Before Sunday’s encounter, Gauff hadn’t played a singles match in over a month, and it showed early on as she had to hold serve down 0-40 at 4-4 in set one, then earned the lone break of the set in the next game.

That proved massive in the long term, as she went on to win and now has the opportunity to claim consecutive group triumphs in this tournament for the first time since 2024.

This is Gauff’s fifth successive appearance in the WTA Finals, making her the youngest player since Martina Hingis between 1996 and 2000 to achieve that feat, with Gauff having won eight matches at this event.

While she committed five double faults in her opener, Gauff won 56% of her second serves, which made a big difference in the end.

There was a little more late suspense than she would have hoped for heading into Sunday, but Linda Noskova persevered.

In what was her debut match at the WTA Finals, she had to make some last-minute preparations to face Marta Kostyuk after her initial opponent, Elena Rybakina, pulled out less than a day before their match was scheduled.

Noskova's stamina was tested throughout the opening set as Kostyuk forced her into some long rallies, but the Czech converted four break-point opportunities to take control of the match.

She is hoping to win consecutive matches to begin a singles tournament for a fourth successive occasion since being eliminated in her opening match at the National Bank Open this summer.

The reigning Wimbledon champion registered only two aces in her opener but captured 64 points to win in just under 90 minutes.

Since her three-set defeat versus Mirra Andreeva at the Brisbane Open in early January, Noskova has not lost a singles match after winning the opening set.

Tournament so far

Coco Gauff:

First match: vs. Jessica Pegula 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-2

Linda Noskova:

First match: vs. Marta Kostyuk 6-2 6-4

Head To Head

Indian Wells Open (2023) - Round of 32: Gauff wins 6-4 6-3

Cincinnati Open (2023) - Round of 16: Gauff wins 6-4 6-0

Madrid Open (2026) - Round of 16: Noskova wins 6-4 1-6 7-6

When they previously met at Indian Wells, Gauff emerged victorious, winning 88% of her first serves with seven aces.

Gauff won again in Cincinnati that year, capturing eight break points, while her opponent won a mere 33% of her first serves.

Noskova got into the win column versus Gauff in Madrid this year, capturing the only tiebreak of that match and winning 59% of her second serves.

We say: Gauff to win in three sets

Gauff is battle-tested, and we believe her speed and power will pay off when needed in this match, which could go the distance.