Coco Gauff turns WTA Finals heartbreak into fortune — and her post-match words say it all.NN
Coco Gauff is still set to pocket a massive payday despite losing to Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets at the WTA Finals on Thursday evening. The 27 year old Belarusian dominated Gauff 7-6 (5), 6-2, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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The round-robin stage wrapped up with a clash between two of tennis’s biggest names as Gauff and Sabalenka went head-to-head. It marked their first meeting since the French Open final.
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Following her commanding straight-sets triumph, Sabalenka will now take on Amanda Anisimova on Friday in a rematch of September’s US Open final. Reflecting on the match afterward, Sabalenka told Sky Sports: “We always have great battles.
Finding her rhythm
“It’s enjoyable playing against her because I know it’s going to be a great fight.
“Whenever I focus on myself and what I have to do, without getting over-emotional and just staying in the zone – that’s the key for me.
“I was just trying to stay aggressive, find my rhythm and find my game.
“I was working for the second set already, but then magically was able to turn things around. [I’m] super happy with the performance, super happy to get this win in straight sets and just happy to be through the round robin.”, reports the Express.
Huge prize money
However, despite falling short on court, Gauff secured a substantial £270k ($355,000) in prize money following her earlier victory over Jasmine Paolini this week.
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Combined with her £259k ($340,000) participation fee, she’ll walk away from Riyadh with £529k ($695,000) in total earnings.
Gauff’s departure ensures a new WTA Finals champion will be crowned on Saturday.
However, earlier this week, Jean-Cristophe Faurel, Gauff’s coach for the past six years intermittently, confessed his admiration for her competitive spirit in high-stakes situations.
A new WTA Finals champion to be crowned
“She’s amazing in the ability she has to just close everything,” he expressed.
“For me, the French Open final is the best example.
“Like every player, she can be irritated, distracted when she plays — look at us [in the player’s box] too much. She maybe looked at us two times. She was in the zone.
“This sets her apart from many, many players. Semifinals, final, big match … she plays her best tennis most of the time. I think she’s 11 for 14 in finals.”
