Tracy Austin highlighted something important about Coco Gauff’s serve against Iga Swiatek at the WTA Finals.
The 20-year-old recorded just her second win against the Pole in 13 meetings in the round robin stage of the season-ending championships.
Gauff defeated Swiatek 6-3, 6-4 to book her spot in the semi-finals of the WTA Finals for the second successive year.
In a match in which the performances of both players fluctuated, the American stayed solid enough to secure an important win.
What did Tracy Austin find interesting about Coco Gauff’s serve against Iga Swiatek at the ATP Finals?
Coco Gauff was the superior player in the first set and served just two double faults on the way to winning it. But in set two, the World number three’s Achilles heel cropped up once again, as she served nine double faults.
In a topsy-turvy set, Gauff overcame her serving woes to clinch a vital victory over Iga Swiatek, and Tracy Austin commended the player for how she did not let the inconsistencies on serve derail her performance.
“What’s interesting about the serve is that Coco only had two double faults in the first set,” Austin told the Tennis Channel podcast.
“Out of the blue, first game of the second set, she gets three and holds her serve and then the next game three more double faults.
“She started looking in the air, looked at her support team, started mumbling but then she was able to stay calm. That is really tough to do against Iga Swiatek.
“It was kind of a streaky match for both players, because Iga hasn’t played since the US Open and losing to Pegula in the quarter-finals. She has a new coach as well, she they are dealing with a lot right now.”
Coco Gauff makes the last four at the WTA Finals
With Gauff’s victory over Swiatek, she booked her spot in the semi-finals of the 2024 WTA Finals. This is her second successive victory of the event, after Gauff defeated US compatriot Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-2.
Gauff has one more group stage match against Wimbledon winner Barbora Krejčíková, on Thursday, before she gets ready for the semi-finals.
“It feels great and despite our head-to-head I was still confident and I knew if I could find my game, I knew I had the chance to close out the match,” Gauff said post-match.
“I was just trying to be resilient and play it deep. The conditions are tough and the altitude tough. I was trying not to give her too many unforced errors. It’s just a game of cat and mouse in these conditions.”
