Coco Gauff take on Iga Swiatek In Exciting WTA Finals Match In Riyadh
Coco Gauff takes on world number two Iga Swiatek in a thrilling WTA Finals showdown in Riyadh on Tuesday, with the American star looking to build on her fine form.
World number three Gauff defeated fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the group stage of the championship. The 20-year-old has been in fine form, winning 10 of his last 11 matches, including the semi-finals of the Beijing and Wuhan Championships.
She returned to the court after two months defeating Barbora Krejcikova 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 in her first match. The Pole, who had a major change in coach, battled her Czech opponent and regained her rhythm in three sets.
Gauff beat Pegula and told reporters, “We’ve been playing a little bit harder than them recently, which may have effect [on the results].”
Head-To-Head Record
French Open Tennis Tournament. Roland-Garros 2024.
Swiatek last faced Gauff at the 2024 French Open, [+] beating her 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals.
On recent form, Gauff seems to be the favourite, but the results say otherwise. Gauff has been beaten in 11 of 12 meetings against the 5-time Grand Slam champion and Swiatek has yet to beat anyone more. The two met in the semifinals of the 2024 French Open, and Swiateck won 6-2, 6-4.
“Always playing her is tough,” Gauff said. “I think if I just play my game, I’ll just try to do that and hopefully come out with a win,” she added, explaining her plan for Tuesday’s clash.
Swiatek, who is hoping to reclaim the top spot from Aryna Sabalenka, has five wins against Gauff on clay courts in Rome and Paris, her favorite venues.
Fans can expect something different as the WTA Finals take place on the hard courts of the Saudi capital.
“Previous times I played her this year was on clay, so obviously it’s going to be a different match on hard court,” Gauff said. “I hope for a different result than the previous two times.”
Gauff and Swiatek are in the orange group in the tournament with Krejcikova and Pegula. Another group called Purple consists of Sabalenka, Jasmine Paolini, Qinwen Zheng, and Elena Rybakina.
If Gauff beats Swiatek on Tuesday, it will be her 52nd WTA event, which will be her best this year
Gauff’s mission will not be easy, however, because Swiatek has an impressive track record in the WTA finals. According to the WTA website, Swiatek has won six straight.
According to the WTA website, only Serena Williams (16) and Elina Svitolina (10) have won more since the Round Robin format returned in 2003. Additionally, only Serena and Justine Henin have won better than Swiatek’s 77%.
The match between Gauff and Swiatek is scheduled for 3:30 PM / 7:30 am ET, local time. Viewers in the United States can watch the match on the Tennis Channel app.
With back-to-back wins, Gauff advances to the semifinals. If Gauff and Pegula win, Gauff will remain the group winner and Krejcikova will be eliminated. If Swiatek and Krejcikova win, Swiatek will advance as group winner and Pegula will be eliminated.
