Jessica Pegula was caught talking about Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff ahead of the WTA Finals in Indian Wells.
Unaware she was being recorded, Pegula appeared to call Andreeva a diva and suggested the Russian would be better than her fellow American, Gauff, if she shared her mentality.
Serena Williams’ coach, Rennae Stubbs, has now delivered her verdict on Pegula’s comments and picked who is actually the better player between Gauff and Andreeva.
Rennae Stubbs says the difference between Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva is that Coco Gauff does not quit
“I’ll give you the five things. A first serve is equally as good from both of them. Second serve, I would say Mirra’s is a bit better or more predictable; she does not break down or double fault as much as Coco does, although Coco is now doing a much better job,” she said during the ‘Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast‘.
“Forehand? Meh. Mirra’s forehand is her weakness by far. Coco’s forehand is her weakness by far. When Coco is not missing her forehand, it is a nightmare shot, because she hits that loopy shot, and it’s really not fun. They are very similar in the way that they play.
“I would say Mirra and Coco are similar at the net, they both can volley, they both like to move forward. They move forward when it counts. I would say Coco is more aggressive at times, when she is down and comes forward. She proved that yesterday by beating Jess and coming in and being very aggressive towards the net.
“Their backhands are comparable; they move as well as one another. They are very comparable. The difference is that Coco does not quit. So yes, all the things that Jessica said were very accurate.”
Stubbs believes Gauff’s never-quit attitude sets her apart from Andreeva, but what has happened when they’ve played each other? Gauff is 6-0 against Andreeva and has only lost three sets against the Russian star.
Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff’s head-to-head record (0-6)
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2023 French Open third round â Coco Gauff defeated Mirra Andreeva, 6-7, 6-1, 6-1
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2023 US Open second round â Coco Gauff defeated Mirra Andreeva, 6-3, 6-2
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2025 Madrid Open quarter-final â Coco Gauff defeated Mirra Andreeva, 7-5, 6-1
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2025 Italian Open quarter-final â Coco Gauff defeated Mirra Andreeva, 6-4, 7-6
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2026 Italian Open quarter-final â Coco Gauff defeated Mirra Andreeva, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
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2026 US Open quarter-final â Coco Gauff defeated Mirra Andreeva, 2-6, 7-6, 6-2
The Australian continued, sharing her thoughts on the WTA’s decision to broadcast Pegula’s comments about Gauff, Andreeva, and her coach, Conchita Martinez.
“But it still just irks me that someone said it flippantly, without understanding the importance of how that could affect a tennis player and their relationships with other players and coaches going forward. It was so bad,” said Stubbs.
Pegula apologised to Gauff and Andreeva, and the incident seems to have been put to bed. However, there is still some added intrigue for their matches against each other at the WTA Finals this yearâŠ
Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff on course to meet in WTA Finals semi-finals
As things stand, Andreeva and Gauff will contest their seventh WTA Tour match in the 2026 WTA Finals semi-finals. Gauff sits second in Group 1 after the first round of matches, while Andreeva tops Group 2.
2026 WTA Finals â Group 1
|
Standings |
Player |
Match (W/L) |
Set (W/L) |
Game (W/L) |
|
1 |
Linda Noskova |
1-0 |
2-0 (100%) |
12-6 (67%) |
|
2 |
Coco Gauff |
1-0 |
2-1 (67%) |
18-13 (58%) |
|
3 |
Jessica Pegula |
0-1 |
1-2 (33%) |
13-18 (42%) |
|
4 |
Marta Kostyuk |
0-1 |
0-2 (0%) |
6-12 (33%) |
2026 WTA Finals â Group 1
2026 WTA Finals â Group 2
|
Standings |
Player |
Match (W/L) |
Set (W/L) |
Game (W/L) |
|
1 |
Mirra Andreeva |
1-0 |
2-0 (100%) |
12-4 (75%) |
|
2 |
Aryna Sabalenka |
1-0 |
2-0 (100%) |
14-11 (56%) |
|
3 |
Karolina Muchova |
0-1 |
0-2 (0%) |
11-14 (44%) |
|
4 |
Elina Svitolina |
0-1 |
0-2 (0%) |
4-12 (25%) |
2026 WTA Finals â Group 2
Andreeva and Gauff still have two group-stage matches to play before they can start thinking about the semi-finals, though. Andreeva will play Aryna Sabalenka and then Karolina Muchova, while Gauff takes on Linda Noskova and Marta Kostyuk.
The final of the 2026 year-end championships will be played on Sunday, November 15. Elena Rybakina defeated Sabalenka in last year’s final, but won’t return to defend her title this season.
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