Tag: Coco Gauff

Sports / Tennis

Iga Swiatek wins French Open, defeating Coco Gauff in women’s final

On the eve of her first Grand Slam final, 18-year-old Coco Gauff insisted that nerves wouldn’t be an issue, vowing to hit freely and compete as if she had nothing to lose in Saturday’s French Open championship.

That was more easily said than done against world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, whose ruthless efficiency didn’t give Gauff a chance to find anything resembling comfort on the red clay of Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Swiatek raced to a 6-1, 6-3 victory in 68 minutes to claim her second Grand Slam just days after turning 21. At the 2020 French Open, she was an unseeded 19-year-old who became a national heroine overnight as the first tennis player from Poland to win a major. With her triumph Saturday, Swiatek extended her winning streak to 35 matches.

In an on-court trophy ceremony tinged with tears on both players’ parts, Gauff congratulated Swiatek on her achievement and voiced hope that they would meet in future Grand Slam finals. “And maybe I can get a win on you one of these days,” Gauff said with a giggle, wiping her tear-streaked face.

Swiatek, after thanking her family and supporters, particularly those who waved Poland’s flag so proudly throughout the two-week tournament, spoke directly to Gauff as her own tears fell.

“I can see every month you are progressing, all the time,” Swiatek said. “When I was your age, [it] was my first year on tour, and I had no idea what I was doing! You will find it.”

Then she addressed the people of Ukraine.

“I want at the end to say something to Ukraine: To stay strong because the war is still there,” said Swiatek, who competes with a yellow and blue ribbon on her cap in solidarity with Ukraine, a neighbor of Poland.

Swiatek wanted this French Open title badly, she revealed afterward.

When she won it at 19, before a largely empty stadium at the height of the pandemic, it left her “confused” and feeling a bit “lucky,” she said.

On Saturday, a second French Open title

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Sports / Tennis

Angelique Kerber blasts past Coco Gauff and into Wimbledon quarter-final

Five short weeks ago, Angelique Kerber stepped up to the baseline for the first round of her Roland Garros match against Anhelina Kalinina, then the world No 139, trailing 6-2, 5-0 and seemingly lost on the tennis court. The saddest part of the grim scene was that it was no surprise given Kerber’s form over the prior two years. Kerber was eventually snuffed out 6-2, 6-4 for her third successive grand slam first-round defeat. As she flailed outside the top 25 it was fair to wonder what the future held for her at 33 years old.

If ever there is an example of how quickly fortunes can change in tennis, the 2018 Wimbledon champion now stands resolute in the quarter-final as clear proof. On a particularly manic Monday, Kerber exhibited calm and considerable experience as she outplayed Coco Gauff, the 20th seed, on Centre Court to reach the quarter-finals of Wimbledon with a clean 6-4, 6-4 win.

Both players struggled early on in a swirling wind that forced them to abort ball tosses and make last-minute stroke adjustments but Kerber, the 25th seed, eventually settled into the match and was mostly faultless thereafter. The German limited her unforced errors, her defense was often impenetrable and she returned Gauff’s nuclear deliveries with depth and consistency. When the opportunity presented itself, she consistently wrong-footed her American opponent with trademark down-the-line forehands before finishing the match with an array of winning passing shots.

Faced with a champion in full flow, Gauff did all she could to maintain contact. She pieced together numerous holds with enormous serving, her first serve consistently clearing 120mph, and constantly unleashed on her backhand. But her forehand was the clear difference between the two. Each time Kerber was in danger, she directed returns or defensive shots to the Gauff forehand, which could not consistently penetrate her defense.

Despite falling in the same round as in her breakthrough at Wimbledon two years ago, the identical results belie the clear progress Gauff has made over as her game continues to grow. …