An error-strewn Iga Swiatek display saw her lose out to a gutsy Coco Gauff in two fractured sets at the WTA Finals.
The American faced her own struggles but ultimately demonstrated impressive resilience as she fought through a series of double faults to progress to the last four of the year-end WTA finale.
The win marked Coco Gauff’s second victory in 13 meetings with Iga Swiatek, slightly improving her truly dismal record against the Pole.
In the first set, Gauff missed a handful of early break-point opportunities but eventually broke Swiatek twice to claim the opener 6-3.
Swiatek, who had played only twice since the US Open, showed signs of rust throughout, struggling to maintain her rhythm at critical moments – A lack of discipline that eventually cost her the contest 6-3, 6-4.
Laura Robson laments out of character Iga Swiatek display
A scrappy second set saw Swiatek and Gauff trade both countless errors and breaks of serve in a stunted hour of tennis.
In the final game, after a few misfired forehands from Gauff and Swiatek, the Pole’s decisive unforced error handed Gauff the break and the match.
With Swiatek having appointed new coach Wim Fissette last month and having missed the entirety of the Asian Swing, the world number two, who struck 47 unforced errors over the two sets, was clearly and understandably lacking match sharpness.
However, Laura Robson still reacted to Swiatek’s error-strewn display with considerable surprise.
The Brit reflected on Sky Sports: “We keep talking about the head to head but it is what it is for a reason. The fact that in the past, Iga has been able to get on top of Coco’s second serve and dictate into her forehand side. She [Gauff] just wasn’t able to use the backhand as much as she would like in other matches.
“But today we saw that Coco was probably the more comfortable player sitting in a forehand cross court rally,” Robson assessed. “There were times towards the end of the match where Iga started to play backhands from the middle of the court, which I have barely ever seen from her.
“The fact she was looking so rushed on her forehand, really playing it late and looking like it was too close to the body. If you’re Coco down the other end you are thinking why not? Why don’t I hang in here?”
In complete contrast, Robson highlighted Gauff’s impressive determination after a tremendously difficult period of form decline and coaching upheaval.
While Gauff’s new coach Matt Daly may not have totally addressed her serving woes, her grit and resolve looks to be so deeply instilled in her.
- READ MORE: The ‘first’ change Coco Gauff’s new coach Matt Daly has made after taking over from Brad Gilbert
Iga Swiatek is shot-perfect… until she hits 47 unforced errors
The Pole’s unforced error count has a habit of spiralling out of control at the most desperate of times.
While the 47 unforced errors against Gauff can be partially blamed on a lack of game-time, the statistics unfortunately show it speaks of a slightly wider problem.
If we look at the Pole’s most significant recent defeats this year, they have virtually all come off her own racquet.
| Event | Opponent | Unforced Error count | Forehand | Backhand | Double Faults |
| US Open (QF) | Jessica Pegula | 39 | 22 | 15 | 2 |
| Olympics (SF) | Qinwen Zheng | 38 | 15 | 18 | 5 |
| Wimbledon (R3) | Yulia Putintseva | 37 | 29 | 6 | 2 |
Her US Open quarter-final defeat against Jessica Pegula saw her strike 39 unforced errors. That agonizing Olympic defeat to Qinwen Zheng arrived due to the 38 unforced errors she hit, costing her a shot at a gold medal.
A shock defeat in the third-round of Wimbledon saw Swiatek spray 37 shots wide or in the net. While the Pole can serenely breeze through the opening rounds, she occasionally becomes her own worst enemy and implodes.
When she does, she pays a heavy, heavy price.
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