After the second round of action in the Tracy Austin Group, Coco Gauff got eliminated from the semifinal contention, while Iga Swiatek rolled into the semis at the WTA Finals.
Eighteen-year-old Coco Gauff, the youngest player to compete at the WTA Finals in singles and doubles since Anna Kournikova in 1999, is eliminated from semifinal contention in Fort Worth without a single match win – a 0-2 score in both singles and doubles.
Gauff lost to Daria Kasatkina 7-6(6) 6-3 on Thursday. The American teenager kicked off her second round-robin match in the Tracy Austin Group with a 4-1 lead against Kasatkina, but the Russian won five of the next six games to lead 6-5. Gauff then earned a break to force a tiebreak, in which she took a 3-0 lead, but Kasatkina fought back again and converted her third set point as Gauff netted a forehand.
Kasatkina is now 29-0 in 2022 when winning the opening set. On the other hand, Gauff is 1-17 this season when ceding the opening set.
Earlier on Thursday, Iga Swiatek beat Caroline Garcia 6-3 6-2 and secured the top position in the Tracy Austin Group. The world number one grabbed nine of the last 11 games against Garcia and has lost a total of just ten games in her two round-robin matches.
In the semifinals, Swiatek will play the second-ranked player from the Nancy Richey Group (to be determined by Friday’s results). Kasatkina and Garcia will play for the second semifinal spot in the Tracy Austin Group on Saturday.
Commenting on her playoff against Garcia, Kasatkina said: “It’s going to look like she’s going to be a step inside the court and I’ll try to be a goalkeeper. So it’s gonna be interesting to see how we’re going to face this match, because very important match. There is pressure in the air.”
