Tears gathered in Coco Gauff’s eyes as she sat on the WTA Finals sideline throughout a changeover Thursday evening after gifting away a lead in what would turn out to be a 7-6 (6), 6-3 round-robin loss to Daria Kasatkina that ended the 18-year-old American’s hopes of reaching the semifinals.
Gauff, who’s ranked No. 4, fell to 0-4 in her debut on the season-ending event for one of the best in ladies’s tennis — 0-2 in singles and 0-2 in doubles with Jessica Pegula. The Floridian was the youngest participant in each occasions on the WTA Finals since Anna Kournikova in 1999.
“I had a variety of probabilities. I didn’t play my finest tennis right now, however so much to take from it, so much to study from it and hopefully do higher subsequent time,” Gauff stated.
“In each the (singles) matches, I had alternatives. I believe I made a variety of unforced errors,” she stated. “So I believe that’s one thing that I should clear up.”
Earlier Thursday, top-ranked Iga Swiatek beat Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-2 by taking management with an eight-point run that launched a match-ending stretch during which she grabbed 9 of 11 video games.
“Pushed me out of my consolation zone,” Garcia stated.
Swiatek has gained all 4 units she’s performed to this point whereas dropping a complete of simply 10 video games.
“It is the final event of the season, so I’ve form of nothing to lose. I don’t have to fret what I’m going to do subsequent,” Swiatek stated. “So, yeah, for certain, I’m giving it 100%, bodily and mentally.”
The outcomes imply that Swiatek clinched a semifinal berth and that No. 6 Garcia will face No. 8 Kasatkina on Thursday for the opposite spot obtainable of their group.
Kasatkina, whose finest Grand Slam exhibiting was a semifinal run on the French Open in June, began slowly Thursday, trailing 4-1 towards Gauff, who was the runner-up in Paris. However Kasatkina started hitting extra photographs to Gauff’s forehand, her weaker facet, and that paid dividends.
Kasatkina shortly accrued 5 of six video games to steer 6-5; that was the rating when Gauff used a white towel to wipe away tears throughout a changeover. Gauff briefly righted issues, breaking to drive a tiebreaker that she led 3-0 and 4-2. However after saving Kasatkina’s preliminary pair of set factors, Gauff relented on the third, placing a forehand into the online to shut a 24-stroke change.
Gauff started the day 1-16 this season when ceding the primary set, whereas Kasatkina got here in 28-0 when claiming it, and people developments didn’t change.
Swiatek’s victory made her 14-1 towards opponents ranked within the prime 10 in 2022 — and people 14 wins have been all in a row, the longest such single-season unbeaten streak on tour in 15 years.
Garcia is the one WTA Finals entrant who managed to defeat Swiatek this 12 months — on the Poland Open in July, when Garcia was ranked simply forty fifth — and the rating was 3-all early Thursday
However Swiatek then raced by way of the tip of that set and went up a break at 2-0 within the second.
Swiatek’s topspin-heavy forehand might be her most harmful shot, however her backhand was as much as the duty on this present day — producing passing photographs when Garcia went to the online or closing lengthier baseline exchanges with winners — and her serve grew stronger because the match wore on, together with ending with a 108 mph ace.
This was Swiatek’s tour-high 66th win of the 12 months. The 21-year-old from Poland additionally leads with eight titles, together with on the French Open and U.S. Open.
“She was undoubtedly one of the best this 12 months,” Garcia stated. “And she or he retains proving it.”