Jessica Pegula saved a match point on her way to a gritty 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-5 win over Linda Noskova on Thursday, advancing out of her round-robin group at the WTA Finals and sending fellow American Coco Gauff out of the season-ending championships. The see-saw battle lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes, with Pegula firing a career-high 16 aces while Wimbledon champion Noskova hit a career-high 15 double faults.

The tournament was moved from Riyadh to Indian Wells due to the US-Israeli war on Iran. In the group standings, Noskova went 5-2 in sets to top the group, followed by Pegula at 5-3 and Gauff at 4-3, while alternate Marta Kostyuk finished 0-3. Pegula's win sets up a first meeting with Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in the semi-finals on Saturday.S1

Earlier, Gauff beat Kostyuk 6-4, 7-5 on Stadium Two, rallying from 1-5 down in the second set and winning six games in a row after needing treatment on her back. Kostyuk, who won the Madrid title and reached the French Open semi-finals, had already been eliminated and struggled with a wrist injury, failing to win a set in her three matches after joining as an alternate when world number one Elena Rybakina withdrew due to illness.S1

Pegula also drew attention for remarks she had made about Andreeva, calling her "a diva" who "needs to be humbled" during a pre-tournament practice session that was livestreamed. She later praised the world number three and apologised to those involved. Pegula said of Andreeva on Thursday, "She's fast, she has a great serve, she's strong, she hits the ball pretty hard and she's smart."S1