Austin observes, 'Coco only had two double faults in the first set'

Former world number one Tracy Austin noticed that America’s Coco Gauff was in much better control as she defeated the defending champion at the WTA Finals. The last mega-event in the women’s tennis calendar is already underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and is approaching the business end.

The top eight women players in the world are participating in the competition to secure the ultimate prize. On Tuesday, America’s Gauff produced a remarkable performance as she outclassed the former world number one Poland’s Iga Swiatek in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-4. It was only Gauff’s second win over the current world number two and five-time Grand Slam winner in 13 meetings as she suffered 11 defeats in the process.

Former world number one Austin recently appeared on the Tennis Channel Podcast as quoted by The Tennis Gazette, where she highlighted one of the primary reasons Gauff managed to overcome her opponent in a difficult contest. The 61-year-old, who won two Grand Slams in her career, stated that the young American tennis sensation looked far more in control in the first set, and even though things became tougher in the second set, she managed to keep her ‘calm’ and registered an impressive win against one of the tournament favourites.

“What’s interesting about the serve is that Coco only had two double faults in the first set,” she said. “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, and 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.”