CANCUN: World number two Iga Swiatek defeated third-ranked Coco Gauff 6-0, 7-5 in a showdown of reigning Grand Slam champions on Wednesday in a group-stage match at the WTA Finals.
Poland´s 22-year-old Swiatek, the French Open winner and a four-time Grand Slam champion, took only 89 minutes to dispatch 19-year-old American Gauff, who won the US Open last month.
“In the second set, obviously, it got more tight,” Swiatek said. “I was happy I stayed focused. I had plenty of chances in her first service games to break back, but I knew somehow I would use one of those chances.”
The victory also boosted Swiatek´s chances to overtake Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka for the year-end world number one ranking at the season-ending outdoor hardcourt event in Mexico.
Tunisia´s Ons Jabeur beat Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-3 in a rematch of the Wimbledon final in the night´s other group-stage match.
The result meant Swiatek has not clinched a semi-final berth despite her 2-0 start. In windy conditions, Gauff hit only six winners compared to 31 unforced errors while Swiatek hit 11 winners, half her number of unforced errors.
“I would say this match wasn´t consistent, in terms of the level,” Swiatek said. “So for sure adjusting to everything that happened was the most important thing.” Swiatek, a three-time Roland Garros champion and last year´s US Open winner, improved to 9-1 all-time against Gauff, whose only triumph in the rivalry came in August´s Cincinnati semi-finals ahead of her first major title at New York.
Swiatek, the 2022 year-end number one, also beat Gauff in their most recent prior meeting last month at a Beijing semi-final but the US teen was nursing a right shoulder injury.
Gauff could not become the first teen to win multiple matches at a WTA Finals since Serbian Ana Ivanovic in 2007.