In a highly anticipated rematch of their US Open final, world No. 4 Coco Gauff faced a disappointing end to her final Grand Slam match as a teenager, bowing out to defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets, 7-6 (2), 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena.
The blockbuster semifinal lived up to its hype, showcasing a high-quality affair. Gauff expressed that despite the loss, she believed she played better than in their previous encounter at the US Open. However, the 19-year-old found herself outclassed by the defending champion, who had evidently improved significantly since their last meeting.
Reflecting on the match, Gauff acknowledged Sabalenka’s enhanced performance, stating, “She served better, she made fewer errors, but also, I feel like I played a little bit more aggressive this time. The US Open, I felt like, wasn’t a great match for me. Yes, I won, (but) I think I played better tonight.”
Despite the disappointment, Gauff remained optimistic, emphasizing the positives from the match. “Today I didn’t feel like I played bad, I just felt there were certain points that I just didn’t win.”
Sabalenka, the defending champion, shared insights into her strategy against Gauff, revealing that her main takeaway from their US Open meeting was to avoid playing passively and always be the one dictating rallies. The Belarusian player dedicated the entire preseason to refining her net game, aiming to shut down rallies and avoid engaging in baseline battles with Gauff.
Gauff, acknowledging Sabalenka’s efforts, recognized the need for improvement on her end. With Sabalenka narrowing the head-to-head lead to 4-3, Gauff admitted, “I wish I could have made more first serves. I think that was the difference.”
She further analyzed the match, pointing out specific areas for improvement, saying, “On my second serve, I kind of found it more in the second set trying to place it better… I was just hitting it right to her forehand, and so she knew where it was going every single time. So I think I want to work on that in the future.”
As Gauff looks ahead, she acknowledges the importance of refining her game and addressing specific aspects to compete at the highest level. With a positive attitude and a keen understanding of areas needing improvement, the young tennis sensation remains a promising force in the tennis world, poised for future success.
Coco Gauff in 2024
Now ranked no.4, Coco played her last match on the 25th of January when she lost to world no.2 Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(2) 6-4
in the semifinal of the Australian Open (draw).During this season Coco has an overall 10-1 record. Gauff clinched 1 title in Auckland.
Sabalenka at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2024
Currently the world no.2, Aryna has a compiled 10-1 win-loss record in 2024. Aryna is now competing at the Australian Open where she ousted the world no.173 Ella Seidel 6-0 6-1, the world no.107 Brenda Fruhvirtova 6-3 6-2, the world no.33 Lesya Tsurenko 6-0 6-0, the world no.442 Amanda Anisimova 6-3 6-2, the world no.11 Barbora Krejcikova 6-2 6-3 and the world no.4 Cori Gauff 7-62 6-4.
Aryna Sabalenka will take on the world no.15 Qinwen Zheng in the final. Their current head to head is 1-0 for Sabalenka.
The Belarussian got to the final in Brisbane (Brisbane International).
Sabalenka won 13 titles in her career: 9 on hard courts, 2 on clay courts and 2 on indoor courts. (See the list of her titles)
Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka clashed against each other 7 times. Their actual head to head record is 4-3 for Gauff. Before, the last time they played, Aryna Sabalenka won 7-6(2) 6-4 in the semifinal in Melbourne (Australian Open) on the 25th of January 2024.
Here the video highlights.
Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka |
| Embed from Getty Images |