Pegula fought off a late push from Marta Kostyuk to earn her first win at these WTA Finals.
Chris OddoNovember 10, 20262 minute read
Jessica Pegula kept her WTA Finals semifinal hopes alive on Tuesday, notching her first win of round-robin play with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.
By doing so, Pegula avenged two losses to Kostyuk this year, in the Brisbane semifinals and the Madrid round of 32, to improve to 5-3 overall against the WTA Finals debutante.
Pegula, making her fifth consecutive appearance at the WTA Finals, reached the final in 2023. She fell to Coco Gauff in her opening match, 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-2, on Sunday.
After a dismal first set, Kostyuk came to life in the second.
There were four consecutive breaks of serve, and Kostyuk later earned a break point for a 4-2 lead. She rued a missed forehand passing shot – the opening was there, but the shot sailed long, and Pegula hit back to level at three apiece.
Kostyuk herself got out of trouble a few games later. She saved a pair of break points with clutch serving and held for 5-4.
Two games later, in her next service game, Kostyuk shook off visible frustration to rally from triple break point down to deuce. An errant drop shot fell into the net, giving Pegula a fourth break point, and Kostyuk’s ninth double fault of the afternoon gave the American her fifth break of the match and a chance to serve for the win at 6-5.
The 32-year-old handled her business and served out the match, converting her first match point to close out her 51st win of the season.
Pegula remains in contention for the semifinals, with Linda Noskova’s match against Coco Gauff later on Tuesday set to have implications for the group standings. If her fate remains undecided, she’ll have all to play for on Thursday when she faces the Czech.
Kostyuk, who entered the competition as an alternate when Elena Rybakina pulled out due to illness, has now lost five consecutive matches. She drops to 0-2 at the WTA Finals, and is out of contention for the semifinals.
Kostyuk, who reached back-to-back semifinals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, finished the season with eight Top 10 wins, and 35 overall, thanks to a dominant 16-1 record on clay in 2026. She also made her Top 10 debut after the US Open.
