CANCUN, Mexico — Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff may well be the defining showdown on the Hologic WTA Tour in the distant future.
It will be their 10th match when 22-year-old Swiatek takes on 19-year-old Gauff Wednesday in a tight round-robin match at the GNP Seguros WTA Finalsth Meeting. Swiatek had won eight of his previous nine fights.
“She’s definitely one of the best players of all time and one of the best players of our generation,” Goff told reporters. “I mean, I have to do better with her.”
WTA Finals: Score | Draw | Order of Play
Swiatek won her first seven games against Gauff, but her learning curve was accelerating when the American beat her in three sets in the Cincinnati semifinals in August. Gauff went on to win her first major, the U.S. Open, but Swiatek prevailed 6-2, 6-3 in the Beijing semifinals earlier this month. The result comes with an asterisk, though, as Goff is struggling with a right shoulder injury.
In the beginning, Swiatek and Gauff usually met in the early rounds, but now that they are ranked second and third respectively, they usually meet in the semi-finals or finals. It could happen again here.
“The more I play against her, the better I get,” Goff said. “Hopefully this time I would love to get a W in the head-to-head matchup. If we both perform well we could potentially get a second one.
“At this rate, we’re probably going to have the most games at the end of our careers.”
The second round singles match of the Chetumal Group will begin at 5 pm local time on Wednesday.
(2) Iga Swiatek vs. (3) Coco Gauff, 5 p.m. local time
Swiatek’s case: Her dominance in head-to-head matches was impressive, winning all eight of her matches in straight sets. Swiatek can carry that into this game with confidence.
She must be feeling good after defeating Market Vondrousova 7-6 (3), 6-0 in the first round robin. Swiatek trailed 5-2 before winning 10 of the last 11 games, plus the tiebreak.
A win here would put her in good position to advance to the semi-finals and gain 10 pointsth Wins against top-10 players this year; the last player to do it in consecutive seasons was Serena Williams in 2013-14.
While Goff will undoubtedly get some support from the crowd, Swiatek seems to have the best following here.
“I even felt that way two years ago in Guadalajara,” Swiatek said. “The support we get here is really great. I’m happy that so many Poles are coming here because I see more and more Poles every year wherever I go. That’s what other players say No, so I’m happy to have that support.”
Gough’s case: She needs to view this head-to-head record from a glass-half-full perspective – she and Swiatek have split their last two fights.
Gough has another thing going for her. She was relieved to beat Ons Jabeur 6-0, 6-1, ending a 0-7 winning streak at the start of the WTA Finals.
“I played the first and second sets very simply,” Gauff said. “After the delay due to rain, I just focused on pressing the gas pedal. I’m happy to finally win this race.”
Goff then revealed that Pere Riba is no longer part of his coaching staff. Riba and Brad Gilbert are credited with helping Goff achieve his best results to date, winning titles in Washington, D.C., Cincinnati and the U.S. Open. Gilbert is working with Goff in Mexico.
A quick background: Gauff hopes to become the first teenager since Ana Ivanovic in 2007 to win multiple matches in a WTA final.
(6) Ons Jabr vs. (7) Marketa Vondrousova, follow-up
Jabr’s case: It was a perfect opportunity to reverse a result that had seemed to have dogged her since her 6-4, 6-4 loss to Vondrousova in the Wimbledon final.
Interestingly? After losing to Gauff, Jabour thought she would play Swiatek. After learning that it was Vondrousova, Jabr said frankly.
“It’s going to be a very tough game,” she said. “I mean, we’re both in a tough spot. I thought she was playing really well, and she’s someone who’s not going to give up any free points. She’s left-handed, and with this type of pitch, I think it’s a perfect fit she.”
In a difficult season, Jabr has enjoyed recent success in China, winning seven of nine matches and the title in Ningbo, defeating southpaw Diana Schneider in the final.
The case of Vondrousova: The Czech Republic product is now 3-0 on the year after losing his first three games to Jabr. Before Wimbledon, she defeated Jabr at the Australian Open and Indian Wells.
With a big lead, Vondrousova jumped out to lead 5-2 against Swiatek and caused multiple errors. She will need to use this opening against Jabeur, who plays an equally diverse game, often using lobs.
The game carries a lot of weight as both players lost their opening games. The loser will lose with a score of 0-2, and the road to promotion will be very difficult.
Double action: With Monday’s game canceled, Wednesday saw a rare tripleheader. The matchup pits fifth-ranked Demi Schuurs and Desiree Krawczyk against eighth-ranked Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez. The Mahahual bracket pits No. 7 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe against No. 6 seeds Vera Zvonareva and Laura ·Laura Siegemund, the two sides battled 1-0. Also in the late-night action, No. 1 Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula will take on No. 4 Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova. The two teams battled to a score of 0-1.