Coco Gauff's WTA Finals campaign now comes down to one match. According to Yahoo Tennis, she sits third in her round-robin group after losing 6-3, 6-3 to Linda Nosková on Tuesday, outside the semi-final places. She opened with a 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 win over Jessica Pegula, so a victory over world number 10 Marta Kostyuk in her last group match is the route she likely needs.
The head-to-head favours Gauff, who leads 4-2. Kostyuk's two wins came in Stuttgart and at the 2025 Qatar Open, where she opened by beating Gauff in a match that shifted the record. Gauff's most recent win came at the 2026 Cincinnati Open, 6-2, 6-2, the result that carried her to her fourth WTA 1000 title. Yahoo Tennis reports that she won 25 of 32 points behind Kostyuk's second serve and converted six break-point opportunities, which is the return pressure that has tended to decide these meetings.
The Cincinnati match also shows a tactical change Gauff has been working on. Speaking afterwards, she said Wimbledon showed her how many points she could win at the net and admitted she had been slow to follow advice to come forward more often. Against a player who has beaten her on the baseline before, finishing points at the net would reduce the number of long rallies Kostyuk can use to build an edge.
Gauff does not need a long run of results to make this practical. She needs to win the points that matter on Kostyuk's second serve, convert her early chances and close at the net when the opening presents itself.
