Coco Gauff put her disappointing WTA Finals loss to Jessica Pegula behind her, picking up a straightforward win over Jasmine Paolini.
Against Pegula, Gauff’s serve was inconsistent. She finished the match with 17 double faults, though there were moments where she looked more comfortable than the stats suggested. “I think she did pretty good mentally. She was fighting the whole match,” said Querrey.
Gauff hit only three double faults against Paolini, and now has another major challenge coming up against Aryna Sabalenka. Sabalenka, who is ranked number one in the world, comes into this matchup after wins over both Paolini and Pegula.
Coco Gauff outlines practice approach following 17 double faults against Jessica Pegula
After her win over the Italian, Gauff said: “I’m really happy with how I was able to turn it around. I think only maybe two or three doubles today compared to 17, that’s a big difference.
“I think it just shows that I have the ability to serve like this and it definitely gives me confidence to recount on this match hopefully for next year and even just throughout this week.”
And sharing insight into her practice day between the two matches, she said: “I think just going back to the basics and trying not to overcomplicate things.
“I think I was on the trajectory in China serving great and I think maybe trying to serve a little bit too hard in that match against Jess.
“So today I just tried to slow it down and let’s start with that approach first and obviously if I have to go bigger, I have the ability to do that, which today I think the ball was jumping really high so I didn’t really need to as much.”
Coco Gauff explains why she doesn’t feel extra pressure at the WTA Finals
Gauff had an incredible run at last year’s WTA Finals, taking home the title after beating Qinwen Zheng in the final.
On her way to that win, she also took down Pegula and Iga Swiatek in the group stage before getting past Sabalenka in the semis.
After her recent win over Pegula, Gauff was asked on Tennis Channel if being defending champion adds pressure. She replied: “Yes and no. I think knowing that no one has defended it in like however many years definitely takes the pressure off.
“Honestly, I think yeah it’s a reason you’re playing the top eight in the world, this round robin format is so hard.
“I’m used to like, when I’m losing, sulking in bed for a few days, and having to come back and play a match is so unique. So yeah, I’m just happy that I was able to get through this one.”
READ MORE: Coco Gauff shares message for Jasmine Paolini after WTA Finals win in Riyadh
The 21-year-old continues to impress with her maturity both during matches and when speaking afterwards.
Up next is probably her biggest test yet against top seed Sabalenka. While Sabalenka is currently ranked number one in the world by Opta’s WTA rankings, Gauff does hold a slight 6-5 head-to-head lead.
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