Coco Gauff pulled off a notable feat by beating world No. 8 Jasmine Paolini at the WTA Finals 6-3 6-2 as the 21-year-old is the youngest player since Iga Swiatek to register 10+ top-10 wins in a single season since Iga Swiatek in 2022, and also the youngest American to achieve the feat since Serena Williams in 2002.
On Tuesday, Gauff was playing to stay alive in Riyadh since she lost her opening WTA Finals match to Jessica Pegula two days earlier. And the world No. 3 answered the call, breaking Paolini four times during the match to routinely get the job done in two sets.
Earlier this year, Gauff struggled in some big matches against the top-10 competition. But lately, the 21-year-old has been doing pretty well against the best in the game as she also recorded two top-10 wins en route to winning Wuhan just before coming to Riyadh.
ADVERTISEMENT
Gauff's reaction to beating Paolini
Gauff didn't hide her happiness after beating Paolini to keep alive her chances of qualifying for the WTA Finals semifinal. The American, who had 17 double faults in a loss to Pegula, was especially happy with her serving against Paolini and the fact that she limited her double faults to just three.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Really happy with how I played today. Definitely a turnaround from the last match. This is the beauty of this tournament, you can lose a match but come back and find a win. I was just trying to play relaxed. I knew today was important to keep myself in the tournament. Definitely happiest with my serve. I thought I served smart, returns were good, happy overall. I dont think Jasmine was 100% today so I send her my well wishes. It isnt easy playing singles and doubles," the American reflected.
Gauff plays against Aryna Sabalenka in her last group stage match in Riyadh, where she will need to win.
