SNHAIDER stuns world No 2 Gauff (6-4 6-1) in Toronto and confirms her impressive RISE! ️ ↗️ First Top 10 defeated ↗️ First WTA 1000 quarter-final ↗️ No 108 at the end of January, she's now virtually No 22 (best ranking) 🎦 @WTA
Ranking at risk: Gauff struggles in Canadian Open amid major points defense
WTASunday, 11 August 2024 at 05:30
Coco Gauff
could see her ranking drop as she navigates a challenging part of the season.
The world No. 2 has a large number of points to defend during this period,
including her US Open title, while currently facing an irregular phase
following her defeat to Diana Shnaider in the Round of 16 at the Canadian Open.
The
21-year-old American player competed in the Olympic Games last week but did not
achieve significant results. Nevertheless, Gauff quickly traveled to Canada in
the midst of a major points defense.
Gauff faces ranking threat as points defense falters
Last year,
the start of the hardcourt swing was the moment of Gauff’s breakthrough, as she
won her first WTA 500 title at the DC Open, followed by her first WTA 1000
title in Cincinnati two weeks later, and finally her first Grand Slam title at
the US Open. Those dream weeks catapulted Gauff up the rankings and currently
maintain her position as world No. 2.
However,
this year’s points defense has not started well for Gauff. Her participation in
the Olympics prevented her from going to Washington to defend her 2023 title,
resulting in a loss of 500 points. Additionally, she left Paris 2024 without a
medal, despite being one of the favorites in singles, doubles, and mixed
doubles.
This week
in Canada, she was defending her quarterfinal points (190 points), but she was
eliminated in the Round of 16 after falling to Diana Shnaider in a decisive
4-6, 1-6. “Sometimes I question whether I should have played or not,” Gauff
stated after the defeat. “But at the end of the day, I wanted to test myself
and see if I would be able to, how I would do being mentally tired a little bit
and physically fatigued.
Coco Gauff at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
“I said
going into the tournament I didn’t have high expectations, but I wish I could
have competed better today, even if it resulted in a loss. I don’t think I
competed well,” Gauff added. “When you have success young, I think people,
especially fans of the sport, tend to forget you’re still developing.”
“A lot of
times, when you look at reasons why some younger girls maybe don’t do as well
as they get older, it’s more mental, if anything. Overall, I’m just trying to
put that in perspective, and honestly, the Olympics was a great learning
experience for me.
“Sometimes
when you do well young, you just want everything to happen now. A lot of them
are between 24 to 27 years old, so I guess it puts it into perspective
sometimes. I think I just learned to trust in my training and trust in the
journey, just talking with them and learning about their stories.
“All of
them at some point did well young, just because they’re so good. Your game is
going to reach its final form in a few years. I’m 20, so hopefully by like 24
I’m there.”
The hardest
part is yet to come for Gauff in the coming weeks. Starting Monday, she will
have to defend her title in Cincinnati (1,000 points), and just one week after
that, she will begin defending her title at the US Open (2,000 points).
If she
doesn’t achieve good results in the coming weeks, players like Elena Rybakina,
Aryna Sabalenka, and Jasmine Paolini could overtake her in the rankings without
even needing to earn points, and the situation could worsen as she narrows the
gap with other players further down the rankings, like Zheng Qinwen, Jessica
Pegula, and Maria Sakkari.
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