Coco Gauff ‘feeling the love’ in Cancun after maiden WTA Finals win
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Coco Gauff in action against Ons Jabeur during the WTA Finals tournament at the Paradisius hotel in Cancun, Mexico, on Monday. Gauff won 6-0, 6-1.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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CANCUN – US Open champion Coco Gauff is touched by the support of the fans in rainy Cancun after her 6-0, 6-1 demolition of Ons Jabeur in her first group-stage match of the WTA Finals on Monday.
The start of the match was delayed and then later interrupted by rain when Gauff was leading 1-0 in the second set. She maintained her momentum when play resumed to claim a dominant win over her Tunisian Chetumal Group opponent.
“I got a marriage proposal (from a fan during the doubles on Sunday), so I’m feeling the love here in Cancun,” Gauff, 19, said with a laugh after the match, thanking the crowd who showed up despite the weather.
“I honestly wasn’t expecting as much support today... I appreciate you guys and, hopefully, we can get a lot more people to come as the week continues.”
Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, however, was definitely not feeling the love in Mexico. On Monday, she joined world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in hitting out at the WTA and the state of the court in Cancun.
Sabalenka on Sunday said she felt “disrespected” by the WTA,
The Czech Republic’s Vondrousova agreed, writing on Instagram: “My first WTA Finals is not at all what I imagined. We work hard all year to get to the Finals and, in the end, it’s just a disappointment.”
Vondrousova, who lost 7-6 (7-3), 6-0 to Iga Swiatek
“Stadium is not at all ready for the matches and, to me, it feels like the people from WTA are absolutely not interested in how we – who are supposed to play on that court – feel,” wrote the 24-year-old.
Cancun was only confirmed as the host city
Instead, the tournament has returned to Mexico for the second time in three years, after Guadalajara hosted in 2021.
Meanwhile, Gauff’s first victory in the WTA Finals came after a winless campaign in 2022 and it made her the first American teenager to win a match at the event since Venus Williams in 1999.
In September, Gauff became the first teenager to win the US Open since Serena Williams in 1999.
“The coolest thing that happened to me was Zendaya sent me flowers to my house,” Gauff told Tennis Channel after Monday’s win, referring to the American actress famous for her role in the Spider-Man movies, as she spoke about life after winning the Grand Slam.
“It was like a huge bouquet of flowers. My brother and I struggled to lift it up on the table. I think it weighed at least 50 pounds (22.7kg). It was so heavy. I think that was the coolest thing.”
Gauff, who qualified for the WTA Finals as the third seed, will face second seed Swiatek in her next group outing on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, at the men’s Paris Masters, Alexander Zverev and Hubert Hurkacz made it to the round of 16 on Tuesday.
World No. 9 Zverev rallied past Hungarian qualifier Marton Fucsovics 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 to improve his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals in November. Eleventh-ranked Hurkacz is also still in the running for Turin after beating Sebastian Korda 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3. REUTERS, AFP
