Gauff Fights Back From Brink To Beat Kostyuk In Indian Wells

Coco Gauff stuns Kostyuk

Down 5-1 and staring at elimination, Coco Gauff found something extra saving three set points and winning six straight games to stun Marta Kostyuk and keep her WTA Finals dream alive in Indian Wells.

Gauff keeps WTA finals hopes alive with gritty win over Kostyuk...

Coco Gauff fought back to edge Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 7-5 in a round-robin clash on Thursday, keeping her hopes alive at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, California.

The world No. 4 still needs other results to go her way to book a place in the semi-finals of the prestigious season-ending tournament.

If Jessica Pegula, ranked fifth in the world, gets past Wimbledon winner Linda Noskova in Thursday’s final Group 1 tie, it will be Pegula who progresses Noskova is already through.

Gauff, though, gave herself every chance with a brave win in straight sets. Staring at a 5-1 deficit in the second set, she dug deep to fend off three set points in game seven, then reeled off six games in a row to turn the match on its head and close it out.

The opening set was a fight in itself. After dropping her serve in the very first game, Gauff looked to have taken charge when she broke Kostyuk again to move 4-2 ahead, then held to make it 5-2.

Kostyuk appeared deflated as she called for a medical timeout to have her right wrist treated.

Once her wrist was strapped up, she returned to hold serve, then broke Gauff as the American tried to serve out the set with Gauff handing her a lifeline through two double faults.

Gauff steadied herself to claim the set, but she quickly found herself in trouble again, falling two breaks down at 3-0 in the second before receiving treatment for what she later revealed was back tightness.

Even with nine double faults to her name, Gauff still came through in one hour and 39 minutes.

"I'm not going to lie, (my) head was already in that third set,” Gauff said of her mindset trailing 5-1.

“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.”

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