"She’s a big fighter": Daniela Hantuchova picks Coco Gauff as favorite to win 2023 WTA Finals, compares her to Serena Williams

Daniela Hantuchova has picked Coco Gauff as her favorite to win the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun and has compared the young player to Serena Williams.

World No. 3 Gauff has had a hugely successful season, the highlight of which was lifting the trophy at the 2023 US Open. The 19-year-old defeated Mirra Andreeva, Caroline Wozniacki, Jelena Ostapenko, and Karolina Muchova on her way to the final, where she downed Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Moreover, the 19-year-old has amassed 22 wins in her last 24 matches and had built up a 16-match winning streak before her defeat to Iga Swiatek at the China Open earlier this month.

Due to this success, Gauff has qualified for the WTA Finals for the second consecutive year in both singles and doubles. Last year, she was eliminated in the group stage in both disciplines but the American has come a long way since then.

Therefore, former World No. 5 Hantuchova revealed that she is backing Gauff to win the 2023 edition of the prestigious season-ending championship. She added that the young tennis star has a lot in common with 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.

"It’s super packed, but if I have to pick one favourite, it’s Coco Gauff. She won the last Grand Slam, she likes the hard [court] surface, she’s a big fighter and she has a lot in common with Serena.

"She loves the big stage and when all eyes are on her, so that’s why I favour her," the Slovak former player said.

The rest of the singles line-up for the 2023 WTA Finals includes Sabalenka, Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Marketa Vondrousova, Ons Jabeur, and Maria Sakkari, the latter of whom replaced Karolina Muchova after she was forced to withdraw due to injury.