Iga Swiatek kept it straight honest following her defeat to Coco Gauff at the WTA Finals, admitting that she simply wasn’t good enough and that she paid the ultimate price.
On Tuesday, the 20-year-old American crushed the Pole 6-3 6-4 to get to a 2-0 record in Riyadh while the Pole now stands at 1-1 and is in danger of not even making it past the group stage.
Right from the start, it was the American tennis star who had the upper hand but she didn’t manage to convert three break points in the third game and another two games later. But Gauff kept pressing and it ultimately worked out after she claimed back-to-back breaks in the seventh and ninth games to bag the first set. During the first set, Swiatek didn’t have a single break.
At the start of the second set, the Pole finally started to make some chances and managed to break the world No. 3 twice. However, her own serve remained a big issue as Gauff kept creating opportunities on the return and broke the 23-year-old three times to still escape with a two-set win. It should also be noted that at one point in the second set, the Polish tennis star led 4-3 and was serving.
Swiatek committed a stunning 47 unforced errors, realized just two of her eight break points and also got broken five times.
“Oh for sure I wasn’t solid enough and Coco used her opportunities much better than I did. I had some break points that I didn’t win and for sure I made more unforced errors. And when you play Coco, you need to be solid even though our head-to-head was more positive for me, still never easy to win against her. So today for sure, she was a better player and yeah I’m gonna try to adjust a bit better in my next match and try to do some stuff tomorrow in the practice court to be better,” the four-time French Open winner said after the loss.
Iga Swiatek© Reem Abulleil/X – Fair Use
How Gauff reacted to her big win over Swiatek?
It is not a secret that the 23-year-old Pole has been a major problem for the American over the last couple of seasons. But on Tuesday, the 2023 US Open champion managed to get the job done – beat Swiatek for the second time in their 13 meetings – and also triumph in one of their matchups for the first time since 2023 August.
For Gauff, the plan was simple this time – remain optimistic and play your game until the end, no matter the circumstances.
“It feels great. I knew going into it despite our head-to-head I had a lot of confidence. I felt like I was playing great tennis. Even when I was playing a bit sloppy, the games I lost were still going to deuce. They gave me confidence. I knew if I could stay solid, I’d have the chance to close out the match. From the ground and return of serve. The first set I had like three straight games in a row with break points. I didn’t let it discourage me. I knew I’d get it eventually. Even In the last game I missed two forehand returns in the net and I told myself ‘it’s ok I’ll get the next one’ and I did,” the 20-year-old said.
Coco Gauff© WTA Finals Riyadh/Instagram – Fair Use
Swiatek now has a problem
On Wednesday, the new world No. 2 will battle against Jessica Pegula (who is 0-2) in her last Round Robin match at the WTA Finals. But even beating the 30-year-old American isn’t a guarantee that the Pole will make the semifinals. In order to do that, she will need to overcome Pegula but also have Gauff defeat Barbora Krejcikova (1-1).
For Swiatek, this is her first tournament since the US Open so some aren’t that surprised that she is not playing her best game. But when she arrived in Riyadh, she insisted that she wasn’t feeling any rust.
“I think it’s not going to be a problem. I don’t feel rusty. I played some points, as well, here with Aryna and Qinwen. Also I’ve been practicing that way. I don’t feel like I missed a lot. Honestly, it wasn’t like a really long break still. Probably a bit longer than a normal pre-season. I spent this time still playing tennis and for sure focusing on finding new coach, making this transition. It’s always tricky. For me it’s a decision hopefully for years because I look at my career kind of long-term,” the Pole said before the start of the event.
Meanwhile, Swiatek doesn’t anymore have a chance of finishing ahead of Aryna Sabalenka as the Year-End No. 1.
