Four double-faults in the second set hurt Coco Gauff as she lost 7-5 6-0 against Iga Swiatek at the WTA Finals in Cancun. Swiatek will now play against Ons Jabeur after Jabeur defeated Marketa Vondrousova 6-4 6-3 in their Wimbledon final rematch.
Iga Swiatek defeated Coco Gauff at the WTA Finals in Mexico.
The American tennis player, who is ranked third in the world, faced a tough challenge from her Polish opponent. She struggled during the second set in Cancun, making four consecutive double faults.
The errors cost Gauff dearly as she gave the advantage to Swiatek, who won 7-5 6-0 in their group-stage match.
“A tough day in the office for me,” Gauff, who also lost a doubles match Wednesday and recently took a two-week break for a shoulder injury, said. “I mentally didn’t stay in it when I was serving for it.
“I have done well throughout the year, serving well, so I’m not going to let [a] bad two games define how I serve.”
Gauff couldn’t make a comeback and Swiatek won the match. Swiatek wants to become the world No 1 again, taking the spot from Aryna Sabalenka.
The win means she is the first female player to achieve 65 or more wins in consecutive seasons in almost twenty years.
In 2023, Swiatek has the highest number of wins compared to other players. Medvedev and Alcaraz have 64 and 63 wins respectively.
However, the 22-year-old expressed disappointment about the empty seats in the temporary hard court during the match with Gauff, joining others who have also criticized the event.
“It’s a shame that we don’t have a full stadium,” Swiatek said. “Hopefully for the future, there’s not going to be any more situation like that, and they’re going to work to improve that.”
She will face Ons Jabeur in her last group match on Friday. Jabeur defeated Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-4 6-3.
It was their first game since the Wimbledon final. Jabeur saved six out of seven break points in the first set.
Jabeur won the second set by breaking Vondrousova’s serve at 3-3. She then held her own serve and will now face Swiatek in an important match.
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