Jessica Pegula compares Coco Gauff and Marta Kostyuk after playing them both at the WTA Finals

Jessica Pegula has won one and lost one of her first two matches at the 2026 WTA Finals.After losing to Coco Gauff in three sets, Pegula bounced back to beat Marta Kostyuk in straights. The win kept her semi-final hopes alive, but what did she make of her opening matches in Indian Wells?Speaking to Sky Sports after her win over Kostyuk, Pegula assessed her first two WTA Finals performances and made a ‘weird’ comparison between Gauff and Kostyuk, having played them both.Jessica Pegula says Coco Gauff and Marta Kostyuk play ‘similar’ against her“I feel like, in a weird way, they do play a little bit similar, at least when they play me. I just think, Coco [Gauff] plays a little bit further back; maybe Marta [Kostyuk] will look to be more aggressive,” said Pegula.“So I think today, I actually tried to be just a bit more patient. I felt like against Coco, I maybe pressed a little too hard sometimes, but that’s like, what she’s so good at making you do. I felt like today, I didn’t want that to happen, so I was a little bit more patient, and I thought I served better.”Jessica Pegula vs Coco Gauff – Match statsCoco Gauff defeated Jessica Pegula, 6-4, 6-7, 6-2StatsJessica PegulaCoco GauffAces54Double faults651st Serve %56%52%1st Serve win %60%67%2nd Serve win %42%50%Break points4/117/16Winners3024Unforced errors5541Total points won106119Jessica Pegula vs Coco Gauff – Match statsJessica Pegula vs Marta Kostyuk – Match statsJessica Pegula defeated Marta Kostyuk, 6-2, 7-5StatsJessica PegulaMarta KostyukAces15Double faults291st Serve %60%53%1st Serve win %76%67%2nd Serve win %44%31%Break points5/112/3Winners722Unforced errors1647Total points won7357Jessica Pegula vs Marta Kostyuk – Match statsPegula was then asked how she managed to win the match in straight sets, given the pressure Kostyuk applied during the second set of their WTA Finals group-stage tie.“I was up like 1-0, 30-0, and she hit a couple of good shots, I didn’t make any first serves. I was so mad at myself, but at the same time, I’m like, ok, whatever, it doesn’t matter, you have to put it to the back of your mind,” she said.“I was just trying to hold onto my service games and then just dig in on the return games as much as I could. I just kept telling myself, sets are important in this tournament; you cannot give her a set, do not give her a set. When I was down 4-5, serving 0-15, I was like, ‘Not giving away this set; we’re not doing this’. Honestly, it was just a lot of pep talk.”Pegula knew how much a straight-sets win would mean for her qualification bid. Her rival, Gauff, spoke out about the WTA Finals format following her defeat to Noskova, but who needs what to qualify for the semis heading into the final round of matches?How can Jessica Pegula qualify for the WTA Finals semi-finals?The top two players from each group qualify for the WTA Finals semi-finals. Pegula has a better set and game win % than Gauff, but is currently losing their head-to-head tie and therefore sits third.2026 WTA Finals – Group 1StandingsPlayerMatches (W/L)Sets (W/L)Games (W/L)1Linda Noskova2-04-0 (100%)24-12 (67%)2Coco Gauff1-12-3 (40%)24-25 (49%)3Jessica Pegula1-13-2 (60%)26-25 (51%)4Marta Kostyuk0-20-4 (0%)13-25 (34%)2026 WTA Finals – Group 1Pegula would qualify for the semi-finals by beating Linda Noskova in her final group-stage match. A straight-sets win would see the American top the group, while winning a decider would see her finish second.She could also qualify if she and Gauff both lose their final group-stage matches. The only way Pegula fails to qualify from this position is if she loses to Noskova and Gauff beats Kostyuk. The third round of group-stage matches will be played on Thursday, November 12.