Coco Gauff
delivered a tennis masterclass to
Ons Jabeur with a commanding victory of 6-0,
6-1 in the opening match of the
WTA Finals.
Jabeur and
Gauff were the last players to make their debut in these WTA Finals following
Swiatek's win over Vondrousova in the Chetumal group.
The
American arrived at the tournament in the prime of her career, having won three
titles since the start of the hardcourt swing, including the US Open, and
boasting a remarkable record of 22 wins and only 2 losses in the last three
months. Gauff had not seen much competitive action recently, as her last match
was in early October during the semifinals of the China Open.
Jabeur
faced more challenges in securing her spot in the Finals and had a hectic Asian
tour, including an injury-enforced withdrawal from the WTA 500 Zhengzhou Open.
The match
was an absolute domination by the young American, who claimed the first set 6-0
in just 24 minutes. Gauff won 80% of the points on her serve and 74% of the
total points contested.
Jabeur
committed eleven unforced errors and had zero winners, while her opponent had
six unforced errors and six winners. At the start of the second set, Coco Gauff
held her serve in her seventh consecutive game won, but the match was
interrupted by rain just a couple of minutes after the set began.
The
Tunisian managed to hold her serve upon returning after the break, but she
couldn't find her rhythm in the match once again, and Gauff went on a streak of
winning five consecutive games.
The seventh
game of the set provided the most tension of the match, with three break points
in favor of Jabeur, which she squandered, followed by three match points for
Gauff, who finally sealed the victory on her fourth opportunity.
With this
result, Coco Gauff secured her first singles win in the Finals, as she had
suffered three consecutive defeats last year. Both Jabeur and Gauff still have
two matches ahead against their other group rivals, Iga Swiatek and Marketa
Vondrousova.