Coco Gauff battled back to a three-set victory over fellow American Jessica Pegula as she got off to a winning start at the WTA Finals.
Gauff, the 2024 champion, showed resilience and superb athleticism to defeat 2023 runner-up Pegula 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 in Indian Wells, California.
Gauff – at 22, the youngest player to appear in five consecutive WTA finals since Martina Hingis in 2000 – last competed at the China Open in early October.
“I’m really proud of myself for this one,” she said.
“Playing a tournament like this without preparation is something I’ve never done in my career, but I’m really happy to get through it.
“It was a tough match. I had a lot of fun.”
Gauff has won just one title this year, when she beat Pegula in the final of the Cincinnati Open in August.
Pegula, 32, won titles in Dubai and Charleston and reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and US Open.
She is just four wins behind Tour-leading Elena Rybakina’s 54 this season, despite having played just one match since the US Open ended in September.
“Jess is an incredible player. We always go back and forth,” Gauff said.
“Today the key was just trying to be aggressive, but I also had to run a lot.
“My shoes are pretty torn now. Some of my shoes are on the field somewhere. So I’ll have to change shoes tomorrow.”
Gn sports
