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Why Coco Gauff’s latest defeat will leave a lasting scar that will be hard to remove

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Coco Gauff WUHAN OPEN

For a set and a half against Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Guaff played the best tennis match of her life – and then disaster struck.

Gauff is still only 20 and for most players, mental lapses of the kind we saw in her Wuhan Open collapse against Sabalenka would be considered normal for a young player.

Yet Gauff has never followed the ‘normal’ rules of tennis and that is why her latest demise will be given the most intense of scrutiny.

WTA Wuhan Open 2024: Coco Gauff knocked out by Aryna Sabalenka despite early semi-final domination

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The basic facts of this match confirm that Sabalenka fought back to end Gauff’s nine-match winning streak and secure a third straight appearance in the final of the Wuhan Open, where she will meet home favourite Zheng Qinwen.

American Gauff had taken the opening set and then moved 4-2 ahead in the second to seem on course for victory, only for her serve to falter as world number two Sabalenka recovered to win 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two and a half hours.

Sabalenka maintained her unbeaten record in Wuhan as Gauff, who won the China Open in Beijing last week, produced another double fault on match point – a 21st in total.

That statistic will be the defending memory of this match and it is a number that will haunt Gauff.

Her all-round game was far too much for Sabalenka to handle for most of the match and when he broke serve in the second set, it appeared, she was on course to continue her thrilling run in Asia.

Yet the serving issues that derailed Gauff’s US Open defence last month came back to bite her once more and this now appears to be a mental as much as a technical issue with her serve.

The young American has spoken publicly about changing a grip on a key shot and most experts believed that may be the serve after her woes at the US Open.

Yet when the winning line was within sight for Gauff, she blinked in alarming fashion as the serve collapsed in devastating fashion.

It was hard not to have sympathy for Gauff as she looked pleadingly towards her box as she looked for answers to the problems, but finding solutions during a match is never easy.

The double fault she threw in to end the match summed up her despair, with Sabalenka offering some support as she also fought with serving challenges a couple of years ago.

“I know what she’s going through,” said Sabalenka. “This is really difficult. This is really tough, but I know that she will overcomes this serve situation.

“She’s already one of the best players, but I’m pretty sure she’s going to be one of the greatest players.”

Sabalenka added on the WTA Tour website: “I was just trying to put as much pressure on her as I can so she would go even crazier on her serve.”

In Saturday’s other match, fifth seed Zheng beat compatriot Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-4 in the first all-Chinese semi-final at a WTA 1000 event.

Olympic champion Zheng continued her fine run through the Asian swing to book a place in a first WTA 1000 final, setting up a repeat of the 2024 Australian Open final, which was won by Sabalenka in straight sets.

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TENNIS

Coco Gauff bringing the vibes again as she makes confession about ‘feeling off’ before US Open

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Coco Gauff US Open

Coco Gauff kicked off her US Open title defence in impressive fashion as she brushed aside Varvara Gracheva and she admitted afterwards that she is “feeling good” again following her recent struggles.

The American’s preparations for the final Grand Slam of the year were far from ideal as she lost in the third round of the Paris Olympics, going down in the round of 16 at the Canadian Open before her Cincinnati Open title defence came to an end in the second round.

Gauff slipped to No 3 in the WTA Rankings with Aryna Sabalenka moving ahead and many pundits have written off her chances of successfully defending her title.

Coco Gauff begins her US Open title defense with an easy win over Varvara Gracheva

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Yet there were no signs that her confidence was low during her clash against Gracheva as she won 6-2, 6-0 in just 66 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“There is definitely a lot of pressure at this tournament, but I am just enjoying it,” she during her on-court interview. “Last year was incredible so I am just bringing those vibes this year. Whatever happens, happens.”

During the post-match press conference, she admitted that she “felt off” during her recent tournaments, especially at Cincinnati.

“I wasn’t surprised about my level because I was practicing really well this week. It was a really good practice week. I was just telling myself that I’m ready, that I had a great practice week,” the third seed said.

“I feel like I’m finding my game, whereas the other two tournaments that I played, at, even the practice sessions that I was doing … it was just, I just felt off. So this week, I just felt like I was really finding my game. So I was confident going in today. I knew based on how I was practicing, I can find my game regardless of the scoreline. Then it’s just about executing.”

Losing early in Cincinnati meant Gauff was able to spend more time on the practice court and it appears to have paid off as she had a better feel for the game.

The 20-year-old, who faces Germany’s Tatjana Maria in the second round, added: “I think just execution … decision making too. I think sometimes I could rush out of points faster than I need, and then there were times where I felt like in Cincinnati where, I don’t know, it was just so weird that shots I feel like I could make with my eyes closed.

“I was just messing, and today I was making those shots, I was like, okay, I know the ball’s going where I want it to go. So I was, okay, I feel good. [The] first round for me can sometimes set the tone for a tournament, whether you’re playing well or not, but just kind of the mentality going in.

“So I think I had a good mentality. Is this going to say I’m going to play great the next couple matches, yes or no? But I think the mentality I have going into this week will be there, and hopefully the execution stays there.”

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TENNIS

[VIDEO] US Open 2024: More Pressure on Coco Gauff to Defend

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Coco Gauff 2024 US Open

The US Open is here, and with it comes a wave of excitement and anticipation that sweeps through tennis fans worldwide. But with all that excitement, there’s also a hefty dose of pressure, especially for the local favorite, Coco Gauff.

As the American sensation steps onto the court, she’s not just playing for herself—she’s carrying the hopes and expectations of millions. The buzz around her is electric, but with the buzz comes the weight of responsibility.

In a video shared by the official X account of the US Open, several fans can be seen predicting the title winner. On the men’s side, there seemed to be a draw between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, with several fans supporting either of the two as the probable title contender. But on the women’s side, Gauff emerged as the clear favorite. Although the names of Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek can also be heard in the video, the number of people backing them is very few.

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Gauff has not witnessed a remarkable season in the American hard-court swing this year, so far. She was ousted in her second match of the Canadian Open, where she faced a defeat from Diana Shnaider. Similar situations unfolded for the star player at the Cincinnati Masters, where she was baffled in her opening match itself, against Yulia Putinsteva. But despite the setbacks, Gauff has found great support from her fans and well-wishers ahead of the US Open.

For Gauff, this support comes at a time when the star player herself admitted the increased pressure on her shoulders. Remember, the 20-year-old would be entering the US Open as the defending champion and hence, expectations from her to win the title are immense. Gauff reflected upon this and said, “Obviously, coming in as defending champion is a little bit of pressure, but also more of a privilege, because as my new motto is: If you defend, that means you won something before.”

But the major question that emerges amidst the support is: Can Gauff rise to the occasion? While the increased anticipation might result in increased pressure, the American star opened up about her form ahead of the US Open.

Coco Gauff might have underperformed at the American hardcourt swing this season so far, but that does not nullify the challenge that she would be posing for her opponents. Ahead of the final grand slam of the year, Gauff revealed that she is well-poised and is having great practice sessions.

Speaking in the pre-tournament presser, the reigning US Open champion said, “The last couple of practices have gone really well, which before, like, during Cincinnati wasn’t having great practices, in Toronto wasn’t having great practices. Here I’m having great practices, which, you know, doesn’t mean I’m going to go out on the match and play great, but it does give you more confidence when you’re actually practicing great the week before a tournament, yeah.”

With Gauff’s first match less than 24 hours away, it would be interesting to see if her intense practice sessions amalgamated with the support she is receiving help her win big at the US Open. Can she defend her title?

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TENNIS

Iga Swiatek criticised for using ‘bad habit’ tactic to disrupt opponents

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Iga Swiatek Cincinnati Open

Tennis great Lindsay Davenport has criticised Iga Swiatek, claiming the world No 1 uses bathroom breaks as a tactic to disrupt her opponents.

The three-time Grand Slam champion asserted that Swiatek uses the tactic every time she loses a set and labelled it a “bad habit that should be patrolled by the powers that be.”

Swiatek’s tendency to leave the court to take lengthy bathroom breaks after losing sets in matches has been highlighted in recent months by some tennis pundits and fans.

Sabalenka ousts No.1 Swiatek to reach Cincinnati final against Pegula | New Straits Times | Malaysia General Business Sports and Lifestyle News

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The world No 1 took a break after losing the first set in her 3-6, 3-6 defeat to Aryna Sabalenka in the Cincinnati Open semi-finals. The 23-year-old Polish star also left the court after losing sets in her matches against Danielle Collins at the Paris Olympics.

It is worth noting that Swiatek has not broken any rules and she is by no means the only player to take extended bathroom breaks.

The five-time major winner has also left the court to take breaks after winning sets, which challenges the suggestion she only does it to disrupt opponents when losing.

Speaking on Tennis Channel, former world No 9 Coco Vandeweghe weighed in on the debate about Swiatek’s use of bathroom breaks.

“It’s been spoken about, Iga’s tactic of going to the bathroom, changing her kit, taking her time, always after losing a set,” said the two-time major semi-finalist. “If I was still playing, I would definitely be very aware of it — she’s trying to disrupt my rhythm.”

Davenport, a former world No 1, condemned the apparent tactic and called for Swiatek to be “patrolled.”

“It’s a bad habit that probably should start to be patrolled a little bit by the powers that be,” argued the American. “Lose a set, you leave the court — never used to be like that. But it happens every time.”

The WTA rulebook states there is a time limit of three minutes for players taking a “toilet break only”, which can be taken between sets or before a player’s own service game.

There is a five-minute limit for a “change of attire break” or a “change of attire break taken with a toilet break”, which can only be taken between sets.

The rulebook clarifies that “an authorized break is timed from when the player enters the toilet or change area to when she leaves the toilet or change area.”

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