Impressive Gauff earns rare victory over Swiatek to reach WTA Finals last four
The American defeated the world No 2 6-3, 6-4 to top the Orange Group and guarantee a place in the last four of the WTA Finals
Coco Gauff, US Open 2024
Image Credit: Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic
Coco Gauff qualified for the last four of the WTA Finals with a precious victory over Iga Swiatek, defeating the world No 2 6-3, 6-4 to ensure safe passage into the semi-finals of the season-ending event.
In an entertaining but error-strewn encounter, during which both players showed sporadic flashes of their brilliant best, Gauff earned just her second win over Swiatek in 13 attempts.
After losing their first seven meetings, Gauff notched her maiden victory over the Pole in Cincinnati last season as part of a stunning run that culminated in a maiden US Open title. Since then, however, Swiatek has reasserted her dominance in the pair’s head-to-head, reeling off their next four meetings without dropping a set.
Yet, after a productive Asian swing during which she won the 1000-level title in Beijing, Gauff’s match sharpness and supreme athleticism made the difference as two months away from the sport for Swiatek exposed her frailties.
Despite a collapse in her serve in the second set, during which she conceded nine double-faults, Gauff was able to twice recover from a break down to clinch a thoroughly impressive and well-deserved victory over the defending champion.
bright start from gauff sets tone for the contest
It was the American applying all the early pressure on her opponent, earning four break points in total across Swiatek’s opening three service games. The world No 2 saved all four as she moved 3-2 up, but Gauff broke through the Pole’s resistance in the seventh game, taking her fifth break point as part of a four-game winning streak.
Having hired new coaches Matt Daly and Jean-Christophe Faurel after a disappointing US Open campaign earlier this year, Gauff has adjusted her forehand grip in an attempt to address recurring problems off that wing. It was interesting, therefore, to see the American target Swiatek’s formidable forehand with that shot as she applied greater spin and height over the net, a tactic she’d not utilised against the Pole before, but one that appeared to be effective in throwing Swiatek off rhythm.
The defending champion looked increasingly rattled as a growing number of unforced errors began to leak from her forehand, with Gauff breaking again in the ninth game to clinch the opening set on her second set point after 49 minutes.
But Swiatek looked for a quick response, earning her first two break points of the contest in the opening game of the second stanza as untimely double-faults from her opponent opened the door for an immediate fightback.
Swiatek could not capitalise in that game as Gauff held firm, but the American’s service woes continued to plague her across the opening stages of the second set as three consecutive double-faults gifted her opponent a valuable break in the third game, only for Gauff to hit straight back to love as Swiatek’s own delivery fell apart.
This remained the theme for the rest of the match, as both players were forced to dig deep to hold serve against a flurry of break-point opportunities.
The pair exchanged a further two breaks in the seventh and eighth games, with Swiatek again throwing in a poor service game, failing to consolidate for the second time in the set as the scores remained locked at 4-4.
From there, Gauff sensed her opportunity well, holding serve to love before pouncing on more frailties in Swiatek’s delivery to seal a huge win on her first match point.
sabalenka seals year-end no 1 as gauff hails much-needed win
“It feels great,” Gauff said in a post-match interview, when asked how it felt to earn a long-awaited win over Swiatek.
“Heading into this match, despite the head-to-head, I had a lot of confidence. I felt like I was playing great tennis. I knew if I could find my game… I knew I’d have a chance to close out the match.
“The first set I had like three straight games in a row with break points. I didn’t let it discourage me. I knew I’d get it eventually. Even In the last game I missed two forehand returns in the net and I told myself ‘it’s okay, I’ll get the next one.’ And I did.”
Victory guarantees the world No 3 safe passage into the semi-finals of the season finale as she moves to the top of the Orange Group with Barbora Krejcikova and Swiatek now sitting in second and third respectively. Jessica Pegula, who was beaten in straight sets by the Czech in the day’s first match-up, has been eliminated having lost both her matches so far.
But this win reverberates far beyond just this tournament, as Gauff finally arrests a desperately one-sided record against Swiatek, ending a four-match losing streak to claim a much-needed second win over the former world No 1. This result also guarantees that Aryna Sabalenka will clinch the year-end No 1 spot ahead of the Pole for the first time as the Belarusian reaps the rewards of a stunning hard-court season.
Such an important victory will stand Gauff in good stead for the remainder of the WTA Finals. The Atlanta native has endured a mixed season, with last-four finishes at the year’s first two Grand Slams followed by disappointing exits in the fourth rounds of Wimbledon and the US Open.
But with new voices in her coaching team, and a breakthrough follow-up victory against a player who has acted as a perennial stumbling block for her, Gauff looks very much back on track and in great shape to finish her 2024 on a high.
Capping a successful last couple of months with a maiden WTA Finals title would be the perfect way to end the year for the American, but it is no exaggeration to say that victory over Swiatek today already gives her season the finishing flourish it deserves.
Gauff has rid herself of an unenviable losing streak at one of the WTA’s biggest tournaments – a significant victory that could catapult her to a new level of self-confidence for the many challenges that lie ahead.
