Coco Gauff lost her final round robin match at the WTA Finals and Tracy Austin explains what went wrong.
The 20-year-old had already progressed to the semi-finals but she aimed to remain unbeaten in the competition.
But that run came to an end courtesy of Barbora Krejcikova, who despite finishing the season outside the world’s top eight, qualified for the WTA Finals by winning Wimbledon in July.
She defeated Gauff 7-5, 6-4 to not only reach the semi-finals in Riyadh, but also top the group ahead of the World number three.
What does Tracy Austin think went wrong for Coco Gauff against Barbora Krejcikova at the WTA Finals?
It tends to be Coco Gauff‘s serve or forehand that is the main reason for her losing matches. Against Krejcikova it was the latter, as the Czech player consistently targeted her opponent’s forehand.
She attacked it with pace and variety, which Gauff struggled to deal with and it was key in the Wimbledon champion’s latest victory, as Tracy Austin explained on Tennis Channel.
“The forehand did break down,” the 61-year-old said. “The serve was good for Coco. She has changed her grip a bit more to the right which really seems to have helped her serve.
“A couple of double faults, a lot of aces, I think you said 10. But the forehand with that variation from Krejcikova, lifting it and hitting it hard, slices. There was a lot of misses on that forehand side.
“Now all of a sudden, Coco plays Sabalenka in the semi-finals. It’s a really surprising day. I thought Coco and Sabelenka were playing the best going into today, but they both lost their last match.”
Coco Gauff’s defeat to Barbora Krejcikova at the WTA Finals was bad news for Iga Swiatek
Gauff’s defeat to Krejcikova means she finished runner-up in her group and will play Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals of the WTA Finals.
The pair have played twice in 2024, and the Belarusian has triumphed on both occasions. The result also had an significant ramifications on Iga Swiatek.
She needed Gauff to win her final group match for her to advance, but the World number three suffered a loss, and therefore Swiatek’s WTA Finals title defence is now over.
However, the Polish player did not appear to be aware of that fact and when she was told in her post-match press conference, she looked perplexed.
“Umm, you mean it didn’t matter? Why did it not? Oh, well….thanks,” she said with a smile. Swiatek’s attention now turns to the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers in Malaga, which commences November 13.
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