Coco Gauff is playing at the WTA Finals for the second consecutive year. Last time, she lost all three of her group matches in straight sets. But this time, Gauff is a completely different player on the court with a changed mindset on the tour. She started her campaign at the WTA Finals, this time by only losing a single game against Ons Jabeur. The match was over before an hour as Gauff faces Iga Swiatek next.
The teenager will play against Swiatek for the fifth time this season. Overall, it will be their 10th meeting on tour. Gauff has only won a single match against Swiatek but is always confident of a victory. Coco earlier said, “Swiatek is doing really well but no one looks at her like some impossible goal, I mean, she’s just a tennis player. I am not trying to downplay her.” Both players have been in good form in the past few matches.
Coco Gauff on Iga Swiatek: “She’s doing really well but no one looks at her like some impossible goal. She’s just a tennis player. I’m not trying to downplay her, she’s beaten me a lot of times… You can’t look at it I guess in a far way because you want that to be you one day” pic.twitter.com/tstEgYCFLt
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) March 11, 2023
The statement was made before Indian Wells Open 2023 where Coco lost to Aryna Sabalenka and Iga lost to Elena Rybakina. It created a buzz among fans for Coco’s bold words. After that, Coco and Iga came face-to-face thrice among which Iga won twice and Coco won once.
In the ongoing WTA Finals, Gauff did not lose a single break point on her serve against Jabeur in the opening match. Meanwhile, Swiatek lost three breakpoints in her opening match against Marketa Vondrousova. Swiatek and Gauff are expected to top the Chetumal group and enter the knockout stages at the WTA Finals.
Coco Gauff vs. Iga Swiatek head-to-head and stats: who holds the edge at WTA Finals?
The Chetumal group has three grand slam champions this season. Jabeur is the only one without a title but has reached multiple grand slam finals. Gauff and Swiatek are the youngest players in the 2023 edition of the WTA Finals. Swiatek had spoken about Gauff’s rivalry during last year’s French Open final and hoped that the rivalry would become a special one.
The world No.2 mentioned that Gauff has a lot of potential in her and she is on the right track. Gauff has won 50 matches this season, along with four titles. She lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open and the first round of Wimbledon. The American lost to Swiatek in the quarterfinals of the French Open this year but went on to win her first major at the US Open.
A Cancun 🇲🇽 nel Gruppo Chetumal vittorie in due set per @iga_swiatek e @cocogauff, rispettivamente seconda e terza testa di serie! 👏#Swiatek 7-6 6-0 Vondrousova#Gauff 6-0 6-1 Jabeur#tennis | #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/D7PIGoszYk
— SuperTennis TV (@SuperTennisTv) October 31, 2023
Swiatek, on the other hand, has won 64 matches this year with five titles. The Polish player also had an early exit at the Australian Open but bounced back by winning the French Open. Swiatek reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon and again suffered an early defeat at the US Open. Gauff will be eager to avenge last year’s loss in the WTA Finals and secure her second successive win in the event.