World number two Iga Swiatek beat an out-of-sorts Coco Gauff 6-0, 7-5 in a showdown of reigning Grand Slam champions at the WTA Finals on Wednesday.
Poland’s 22-year-old Swiatek, the French Open winner and a four-time Grand Slam champion, took only 89 minutes to dispatch 19-year-old American Gauff, who won the US Open last month.
In windy conditions, Gauff hit only six winners compared to 31 unforced errors while Swiatek hit 11 winners, half her number of unforced errors.
“In the second set, obviously, it got more tight,” Swiatek said. “I was happy I stayed focused. I had plenty of chances in her first service games to break back, but I knew somehow I would use one of those chances.”
The victory also boosted Swiatek’s chances to overtake Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka for the year-end world number one ranking at the season-ending outdoor hardcourt event in Mexico.
