Coco Gauff says what she changed mid-match to beat Iga Swiatek in ‘weird’ match at the WTA Finals

Follow us on Google Discover

Coco Gauff has had another strong year on the WTA Tour in 2024, reaching a career-high of second in the world.

The 20-year-old enjoyed success at the Grand Slams in 2024, as Gauff reached the semi-finals of the French Open, losing out to eventual champion Iga Swiatek.

Gauff lost in the fourth round of the US Open however, unable to defend her title which she won in 2023 as a teenager.

Her dip in form prompted Gauff to make the decision to change coaches, swapping out Brad Gilbert for Matt Daly after the US Open.

It didn’t take long for the move to pay off, as Gauff won the biggest title of her season just months after Daly came on board.

Gauff won the China Open, this October, beating Karolina Muchova in straight sets in the final, to take home her second career WTA 1000 title.

Gauff’s impressive results in 2024 were enough to qualify her for the WTA Finals for the third consecutive season, where she is looking to improve upon her semi-final appearance last time out.

Coco Gauff reveals what she changed during her win over Iga Swiatek at the WTA Finals

The American began her campaign strongly, as Gauff beat Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-2 in her opening match.

Coming up against Swiatek in her second group game was a daunting task for Gauff, who trailed the head-to-head 1-11 before the match.

Gauff battled through however, winning in straight sets to guarantee her place in the semi-finals.

Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, Gauff revealed what she had to change in order to come out with a win.

“I definitely changed because I was missing long a lot, so I was trying not to give her so many unforced errors,” she said.

“You have to give and take, it was kind of a cat and mouse game in these conditions.

“If you are too aggressive sometimes you can miss. It was kind of weird.

“It was a decision I made, to take off [pace], when I realized I was making a lot of unforced errors.”

Gauff has also struggled with her serve in 2024, a problem that reappeared in her win over Swiatek, as the 20-year-old double faulted nine times.

The American went on to say that she knows that her serve is a work in progress.

“I am in the process of changing something, so there are going to be good days and bad days,” said Gauff.

“I served great against Jess [Pegula], today maybe not.

“It’s the process of improvement and in the long run I know it’s the right decision.”

Is Coco Gauff now the favorite for the WTA Finals?

With her qualification to the semi-finals now secured, Gauff can start to dream of winning the year-end championships for the first time in her career.

However, whilst Gauff is undefeated in the Orange group, Aryna Sabalenka is making light work of the Purple group, having secured her spot in the last four on Monday.

Gauff’s win over Swiatek also guaranteed Sabalenka the year-end number-one spot, a position that the pair had been fighting over in recent months.

With Sabalenka and Gauff seemingly the favorites to take home the title in Riyadh, who has gotten the better of their previous encounters?

The pair are level in the head-to-head four a piece, but the Belarussian took home both victories in 2024, with Sabalenkas’s win at the Wuhan Open, the most recent.

It remains to be seen if the pair will face off in Saudi Arabia, but it looks too close to call should Sabalenka and Gauff come up against each other this week.

Gauff will be back in action for her final group stage game against Barbora Krejcikova on Thursday.