Jessica Pegula revived her WTA Finals campaign by beating Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 7-5 in one hour and 29 minutes. In this round-robin tournament, the American remains in contention for the knockout stage; the Ukrainian, meanwhile, can no longer qualify after two defeats in two matches. The score also tells the story of two matches in one: a first set largely dictated by Pegula, followed by a second set in which serve and return shifted the balance several times.
A start that set the tone
Pegula won the first nine points of the match and broke Kostyuk’s serve in the opening game. A break point is an opportunity to win a game on the opponent’s serve; converting one straight away allowed the American to play the rest of the set with a tangible lead, rather than having to chase the score.
The difference was also reflected in unforced errors, meaning mistakes attributed to the execution of a shot rather than to direct pressure from the opponent. In the first set, Kostyuk made 17, compared with three for Pegula, according to the WTA match report. Pegula won the set 6-2 in half an hour. This tally describes a start to the match in which she managed the rallies better; it does not, on its own, sum up what followed.
The American’s serve also played a part. Across the match, she won 76% of the points played behind her first serve and landed 60% of her first serves. An effective first serve limits the opportunities to apply pressure on the return: the opponent has to deal with a harder serve to attack, rather than being able to settle into the rally. Pegula told the WTA that she had worked on serving better against players who take the ball early and put pressure on the return. Kostyuk is known precisely for her aggressive return.
A less predictable second set
The first set did not continue in the same vein. The second set began with four consecutive breaks: each player lost her serve twice before Kostyuk finally held to lead 3-2. In that sequence, winning a service game was no formality. Each player had to defend her serve while looking to exploit the other’s difficulties.
Kostyuk then had a break point, a chance to extend her lead to 4-2 on Pegula’s serve. She failed to convert it, and the American levelled at 3-3. The next four games were won by the server: the match had thus returned to an apparent balance, although the score still gave no indication of who would take the final advantage.
At 5-5, Pegula had several break opportunities in Kostyuk’s service game. She finally converted her fourth break point to lead 6-5, then served for the match. Kostyuk sent her forehand long on match point. This finish clearly distinguishes two things: Pegula had to keep pressing to break her opponent’s serve, then consolidated her lead without having to play a tie-break.
The WTA’s match statistics also record nine double faults for Kostyuk in this match. A double fault occurs when a player misses both of her serve attempts on the same point; it gives the point directly to her opponent. In a set in which serve had already been broken four times, this total illustrates an additional source of difficulty for the Ukrainian, without explaining every break on its own.
The draw remains open for Pegula
This win matters because it follows a defeat in Pegula’s opening match, against her compatriot Coco Gauff. At the WTA Finals, players are divided into groups and play several matches before the knockout matches. A defeat in the group stage therefore does not automatically mean elimination: the standings depend on the results in the group and the remaining matches.
For Pegula, the next challenge is her final group match against Linda Noskova, announced for Thursday by the WTA. A win would keep her in a position to reach the last four, while Kostyuk still has to face Gauff but can no longer reach the knockout stage after her two straight-set defeats. It is therefore important to distinguish a match result from its consequence in the draw: Pegula has revived her chances, but she has not yet secured her place in the semi-finals.
The match against Noskova will show the extent of this revival. Against Kostyuk, Pegula first took control by limiting her errors and using her serve, then had to remain effective in a much more closely contested second set. The next hurdle is not simply to repeat the first set’s 6-2: in a round-robin format, she needs to turn this win into a useful result against an opponent waiting for her on the final day.
References
Jessica Pegula at the 2026 US Open. Archive image, separate from her match at the WTA Finals.
