Linda Noskova became the first player to reach the semi-finals of the WTA Finals after beating Coco Gauff 6-3, 6-3 in Indian Wells on Tuesday.
The 21-year-old Czech, the reigning Wimbledon champion, needed just 75 minutes to beat the American in their Group 1 match. It was her second straight-sets win of the tournament after she also beat Marta Kostyuk in her opening match.
Noskova is the youngest player to reach the semi-finals on her first appearance at the WTA Finals since Petra Kvitova in 2011. She is also the first eighth seed to win her first two round-robin matches since Anett Kontaveit in 2021.
Gauff, the world No. 4 and the 2024 champion, struggled with her serve throughout the match. Noskova broke her four times in the first set and sealed the win with her ninth ace.
The defeat leaves Gauff fighting for the second semi-final place from the group. She faces Kostyuk on Thursday and must win to stay in the tournament. Jessica Pegula, who beat Kostyuk 6-2, 7-5 on Tuesday, is also on one win and one defeat and faces Noskova in the other final group match on Thursday.
Noskova, the world No. 8, will find out her semi-final opponent once the group stage is complete. The semi-finals are played on Saturday.
