Despite a late opponent change, Noskova sticks to her plan and wins her FAGE WTA Finals opener

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Linda Noskova liked how her last match against Marta Kostyuk ended, though she could have done with a little less suspense along the way. That one took three sets at the US Open, and when Kostyuk replaced Elena Rybakina in the FAGE WTA Finals draw, Noskova had a day to prepare for a rematch and a pretty clear idea of what she wanted out of it.

"I did not want to have long rallies," she said.

The opening set delivered on that, wrapping up in just over a half an hour. Kostyuk extended the points more in the second, but once Noskova broke for 4-2, she did not drop another service game. The 6-2, 6-4 win on Sunday lasted 1 hour and 26 minutes. It was her third straight over Kostyuk, and it gave the Wimbledon champion a winning start in her WTA Finals debut.

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“I felt like I had to motivate myself just a little bit extra since it’s the end of the year,” Noskova said after the match. "It’s the last week, and you really want to have the season over and see yourself on vacation. But this is a big week for me.”

The late change set up a fourth meeting with an opponent Noskova had already faced on all three surfaces this year. Kostyuk won in Madrid on the way to the title, and Noskova took the next two, at Wimbledon and the US Open. Given that history, Noskova saw little reason to alter her preparation.

"I just had to quickly get used to a different opponent," Noskova said. “But the preparations were all the same, so not much has changed."

Kostyuk, the first alternate, faced a steeper adjustment. She found out Saturday that she would play after Rybakina, the defending champion and World No. 1, withdrew with a viral illness.

A right wrist injury had sidelined Kostyuk from the Billie Jean King Cup final in September, and she arrived on Sunday having lost her last four matches. She netted a forehand on the first point and sent another wide on break point. She broke back immediately, but Noskova broke again and held for 3-1, the first hold of the match.

“I wasn’t expecting to start the tournament from the first match,” Kostyuk said in press. “I wasn’t expecting to play at all, if I’m honest.”

Kostyuk said she had been in pain every day for three months, and that Sunday was only the second day without it.

“I think this is the most important thing for me right now,” she said. “I’m happy to be back on court.”

She was candid about where her game stands. She is healthy, she said, but short on practice and repetition on every shot, and she knows her serve has to change. Surgery is not on the table for now.

“It’s the end of the year,” Kostyuk said. “I’m happy to be here, ending the year strong.”

Noskova arrived in far better shape. Her season has included a move into the Top 10 in June, the Wimbledon title in July and the Billie Jean King Cup clincher for Czechia in September. At 21, the World No. 8 is the third-youngest Czech player to win a match at the WTA Finals, behind Helena Sukova and Petra Kvitova.

Her numbers this year are among the best on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.

• 41 wins, including Billie Jean King Cup play, a career high that passes the 40 she had in 2025.
• Sunday was her fifth win over a Top 10 player this season, tying her best for a year.
• She has won 24 matches since the grass season began in June, level with Alexandra Eala for the most.
• She has won her past 37 matches after taking the first set, counting Billie Jean King Cup play.

Not all is lost for Kostyuk. The round-robin format at the WTA Finals leaves room for a rough start, and she still has two group matches to play. A first-day loss has not always been the end of a title run. Three players have lost their opening match here and gone on to win the whole thing. Do you know who they are? Give this quiz your best shot: 

For Noskova, she had already secured the best season of her career, which made earning a place in one more tournament a welcome extra.

"It's like a, like a cherry on top that I could get here,” Noskova said, "And I definitely wanted to give it all today."