Sabalenka to end year as number one after Gauff downs Swiatek at WTA Finals
COCO GAUFF beat defending champion Iga Swiatek 6-3, 6-4 at the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Tuesday to reach the semifinals and ensure Aryna Sabalenka would finish the year as world number one.
It was Gauff’s second win over Swiatek in 13 meetings. Gauff, 20, is unbeaten in the orange round-robin group having defeated fellow American Jessica Pegula in the previous round.
Swiatek can only qualify for the semifinals if she beats Pegula and Gauff also defeats Barbora Krejcikova on Thursday.
“It feels great. I knew going into it despite our head to head I had a lot of confidence. I felt like I was playing great tennis,” Gauff said.
Gauff cruised through the opening set without facing any break points, while Swiatek’s 32 unforced errors proved costly. Swiatek rebounded briefly in the second set as she went up a break twice but Gauff swiftly regained control each time.
Despite Gauff’s nine double faults in the second set, it was Swiatek’s increasing errors that ultimately made the difference, with Gauff steadying herself to seal the victory on Swiatek’s 47th unforced error of the match.
“Even when I was playing a bit sloppy, the games I lost were still going to deuce. They gave me confidence. I knew if I could stay solid, I’d have the chance to close out the match,” Gauff added.
“In the last game I missed two forehand returns in the net and I told myself ‘it’s ok I’ll get the next one’ and I did.”
French Open champion Swiatek lost in the US Open quarterfinals in September and was leapfrogged in the world rankings by Sabalenka after she skipped the WTA Tour’s Asian swing due to fatigue. Gauff secured the title at the China Open in Beijing and reached the semifinals in Wuhan. — Reuters
