ANCUN, Mexico (AP) — U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff double-faulted four times in a row while serving for the second set and wound up losing 6-0, 7-5 to four-time major title winner Iga Swiatek in round-robin action at the WTA Finals on a windy Wednesday night.
“A tough day in the office for me,” said Gauff, who also lost a doubles match Wednesday. “I mentally didn’t stay in it when I was serving for it.”
She said the wind didn’t help things, nor did a recent break of about two weeks without serving because of a shoulder injury.
“I have done well throughout the year, serving well,” the third-seeded Gauff said, “so I’m not going to let … (a) bad two games define how I serve.
There were plenty of empty seats at the temporary hard court — and Swiatek noticed.
“It’s a shame that we don’t have a full stadium,” she said afterward.
“Hopefully for the future, there’s not going to be any more situation like that, and they’re going to work to improve that,” the second-seeded Swiatek said.
The WTA’s decision to host the event in Cancun was not announced until September.
The two women who will advance to the semifinals from this group will be determined Friday, when Swiatek (who is 2-0 so far) faces Jabeur (1-1), and Gauff (1-1) meets Vondrousva (0-2).
On Wednesday, Gauff led 4-2 in the second set, then was a game away from forcing a third while serving at 5-4. The teenager from Florida went up 15-love, then dropped the game with the series of double-faults. After the fourth, Gauff spiked her racket, then picked it up and tossed it at her bench as she walked to the sideline.
That was part of a stretch in which the American lost nine points in a row and 12 of the last 13 against Swiatek, who improved to 9-1 against Gauff.
Earlier, Gauff chucked her racket after one errant backhand return late in the lopsided opening set.
“The first set,” Gauff said, “went fast.”
Gauff and Jessica Pegula, who qualified for the singles semifinals with a victory Tuesday, lost their doubles match to Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova 3-6, 7-5, 10-6 in Wednesday’s final contest.
