Coco Gauff admitted she was already thinking about a third set before rallying from a 5-1 deficit to defeat Marta Kostyuk at the WTA Finals.
Coco Gauff admitted she was already preparing for a third set before mounting a comeback against Marta Kostyuk on Thursday, winning six consecutive games to secure a 6-4, 7-5 win in round-robin play at the WTA Finals.
Gauff trailed 5-1 in the second set before rallying to defeat Kostyuk in straight sets, overcoming serving struggles and requiring attention from a trainer during the match.
Afterward, Gauff acknowledged that she had nearly accepted the prospect of playing a deciding set before the momentum shifted in her favor.
“I’m not going to lie, (my) head was already in that third set,” Gauff said of her mindset when trailing 5-1, as reported by The Guardian. “Then once it got to 5-4 I was like, ‘OK, I can win this set.’ I got a little bit lucky. She gave me a few errors. I’m glad I was able to close that out.”
Despite the win, Gauff’s chances of advancing to the semifinals remained dependent on the outcome of Jessica Pegula’s match against Linda Noskova later Thursday.
A win by Pegula, Gauff’s former doubles partner, would eliminate Gauff and send Pegula into the semifinals. Gauff had previously defeated Pegula in three sets during their opening Group 1 match.
Noskova, the reigning Wimbledon champion, had already secured a semifinal berth at the season-ending tournament, which was relocated from Saudi Arabia to Southern California because of the war involving Iran in the Middle East.
Against Kostyuk, Gauff initially appeared headed for a more comfortable win after taking a 5-2 lead in the opening set. Kostyuk broke Gauff’s serve to narrow the deficit to 5-4, but Gauff immediately broke back to claim the set.
Kostyuk responded by winning the first four games of the second set. Gauff struggled with double faults and received treatment from a trainer early in the set.
After falling behind 5-1, Gauff fought off three break points to hold serve and begin her comeback. She subsequently broke Kostyuk twice to level the score at 5-5 before holding for a 6-5 advantage.
Kostyuk entered the tournament as the first alternate following top-ranked Elena Rybakina’s withdrawal because of a viral illness. The 24-year-old Ukrainian finished Group 1 play with an 0-3 record.
Reporting by Beth Harris of The Associated Press was referenced in this article.
Coco Gauff admitted she was already preparing for a third set before mounting a comeback against Marta Kostyuk on Thursday, winning six consecutive games to secure a 6-4, 7-5 win in round-robin play at the WTA Finals. Gauff trailed 5-1 in the second set before rallying to defeat Kostyuk in straight sets, overcoming serving struggles and requiring attention from a trainer during the match.
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