Coco Gauff prevails over
Marketa Vondrousova in the Chetumal Group by 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3 keeping the semifinal
hope alive
Vondrousova
had a disappointing performance in the
WTA Finals, losing her matches to Iga
Swiatek (7-6, 6-0) and Ons Jabeur (6-4, 6-3). Although she was already
eliminated, this match offered her a chance to earn some points to close out
the year.
On the
other hand, the American, Coco Gauff, aimed to secure her spot in the
semifinals before Swiatek's match. Gauff needed a victory to advance from the
round-robin stage and then had to rely on Iga Swiatek defeating Ons Jabeur in
the final match of the night.
As in
previous days, the Cancun evening saw intermittent rain that caused multiple
interruptions in the match. Moreover, strong winds posed challenges for the
players, affecting their serves and rallies, resulting in errors due to the
ball being moved by the wind.
The first
set started well for Vondrousova, who took 12 of the first 13 points, gaining a
3-0 lead with two breaks. Gauff stepped up her game, winning three consecutive
games and breaking back to level the score at 3-3. However, with rain and wind
difficulties and the score at 5-5, the crucial break came in favor of the Czech
player, who then secured the set 7-5 with her service.
In the
second set, both players hit better and adjusted to the court conditions. Gauff
showed aggressiveness, totaling 13 winners and 14 unforced errors compared to
Vondrousova's 8 winners and 8 unforced errors.
Again, with
exchanged breaks, Vondrousova recovered from being down 5-2 and led 6-5 with
her service to finish the match. However, Gauff made a comeback when it
mattered most, breaking Vondrousova and playing a great tie-break to extend the
match to the third set.
In the
third set, the first break occurred in the fifth game in favor of the
19-year-old American. Following the break, Vondrousova appeared noticeably
discouraged and her performance dropped in the latter part of the match, which
Gauff won 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3.
Gauff's
victory doesn't guarantee her spot in the semifinals. She must await the
outcome of the match between Ons Jabeur and Iga Swiatek to determine the
group's final standings.
