Iga Swiatek Beats Coco Gauff at WTA Finals

Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek in action against US player Coco Gauff during the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, 01 November 2023.  EPA/ALONSO CUPUL
Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek in action against US player Coco Gauff during the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, 01 November 2023. EPA/ALONSO CUPUL
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Iga Swiatek Beats Coco Gauff at WTA Finals

Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek in action against US player Coco Gauff during the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, 01 November 2023.  EPA/ALONSO CUPUL
Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek in action against US player Coco Gauff during the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, 01 November 2023. EPA/ALONSO CUPUL

US 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 three-time major title winner Iga Swiatek in round-robin action at the WTA Finals in Mexico 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.”

According to The Associated Press, 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.



Kyrgios Is Back in Tournament Action for 1st Time in 18 Months at Brisbane International

Australia's Nick Kyrgios attends a training session before the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 28, 2024. (AFP)
Australia's Nick Kyrgios attends a training session before the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 28, 2024. (AFP)
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Kyrgios Is Back in Tournament Action for 1st Time in 18 Months at Brisbane International

Australia's Nick Kyrgios attends a training session before the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 28, 2024. (AFP)
Australia's Nick Kyrgios attends a training session before the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on December 28, 2024. (AFP)

Nick Kyrgios will make his return to tournament tennis at the Brisbane International when he takes on 21-year-old Giovanni Perricard of France.

It will be the first tour-level appearance by Kyrgios since the Stuttgart Open in June 2023. The 29-year-old Kyrgios has been mostly sidelined with career-threatening wrist and knee injuries since the 2022 US Open quarterfinals.

Kyrgios is also entered in the Australian Open beginning Jan. 12. It would be his first Grand Slam singles tournament in more than two years.

Kyrgios, who won the Brisbane International in 2018, will partner Novak Djokovic in doubles in Brisbane. Djokovic beat Kyrgios in the 2022 Wimbledon singles final.

Djokovic is the No. 1-seeded player at the Brisbane International and will play Australia’s Rinky Hijikata in the opening round following the singles draw held Saturday.

Kyrgios and Djokovic are in the top half of the singles draw and are not slated to play each other until the semifinals should they both win through.