Coco Gauff opens WTA Finals with win over Jessia Pegula at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS, California: Coco Gauff defeated fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2 in her first match of the 2026 WTA Finals on Sunday.

Competing in Group 1 of the eight-woman field’s round-robin draw, Gauff improved to 6-5 in her career against Pegula after two hours, 39 minutes at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

“I was having a lot of fun today,” the 22-year-old No. 4 seed said after the match, joking she left bits of rubber from her shoes on court. “I had a match point in the second (set) and I didn’t get too down on myself…I think today, the key was just trying to be aggressive, but I also had to run a lot.”