Jessica Pegula saved a match point and fought back to beat Linda Noskova 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-5 in a dramatic final group match at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, booking her place in the semi-finals and ending Coco Gauff's hopes of progressing.

The American was one point from elimination in the deciding set before turning the match around, winning the last three games to complete a victory that lasted two hours and 45 minutes. It was a result that settled a three-way tie at the top of Group 1, with Pegula advancing as runner-up behind Noskova on sets won.

Match point drama in the decider

Pegula made the stronger start, taking a tight opening set in a tiebreak 7-2 after neither player could force a break. Noskova, the Wimbledon champion, responded by taking the second set 6-4, a result that guaranteed her first place in the group whatever happened next.

The deciding set looked to be slipping away from Pegula when Noskova moved a break ahead and then earned a match point on the American's serve at 5-4. Pegula had double-faulted to hand her opponent the chance, but she rediscovered her serve at exactly the right moment, holding firm to level at 5-5.

The momentum shifted completely from there. Pegula broke Noskova in the next game to lead 6-5, then closed out the match on her first match point when a net cord fell back on Noskova's side of the court. It was a fittingly tense finish to a contest that had swung back and forth throughout.

Aces and the numbers behind the win

Pegula struck 16 aces in the match, the most she has produced in a single match on the WTA Tour, beating her previous best of 14, which she had also recorded against Noskova in the Berlin final earlier this year. Her serve proved decisive at the key moments, including the ace that tied the deciding set at 5-5.

She also became the first player to win a WTA Finals match after saving a match point since Simona Halep in 2019, underlining just how close she came to going out. All three players in the group finished with a 2-1 record, but Noskova topped the standings with five sets won to two lost, ahead of Pegula on five won and three lost, with Gauff third on four won and three lost.

Gauff had done all she could earlier in the day, beating alternate Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 7-5, but her fate was out of her hands once Pegula and Noskova took to the court. The 2024 champion could only watch as her fellow American's victory confirmed her elimination.

What comes next in Indian Wells

Pegula's reward is a semi-final meeting with Mirra Andreeva on Saturday, the first meeting between the two on the WTA Tour. The French Open champion topped Group 2 to set up the clash, and Pegula will need to recover quickly after such a draining night.

Noskova, meanwhile, will face the winner of the Group 2 contest between Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina for a place in the final. The Czech player had already secured her semi-final spot before facing Pegula, but she will be disappointed to have let a winning position slip away.

The season-ending championships, worth 10 million dollars in prize money, were moved from Riyadh to Indian Wells this year. With the group stage now complete, four players remain in the hunt for the title, and Pegula's great escape has made her one of the stories of the tournament. Sources: WTA and NBC Sports.