By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Sunday, January 5, 2025
Photo: Andy Cheung/Getty
Coco Gauff took transition tennis to new heights Down Under.
Shifting from defense to attack brilliantly, Gauff downed Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-4 to put the United States in danger of taking a 1-0 lead over Poland in the United Cup final in Sydney. Taylor Fritz fought Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to seal Team USA’s 2-0 victory and second United Cup championship in three years.
Pegula: The Swiatek case inspires confidence and disappointment
“I definitely think this is one of my best performances in tennis, especially in today’s match, it was a high level match,” Gauff told media in Sydney. “I think we were both playing well.”
Continuing her breakout season at the end of 2024, Gauff earned United Cup MVP honors while going undefeated for Team USA.
It is Gauff’s second straight victory over Swiatek after her 6-3, 6-4 victory en route to the WTA Finals Championship last November.
In Riyadh, Gauff took down US Open finalist Jessica Pegula, no. 2 Swiatek, no. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen.
In the past, Swiatek treated Gauff’s arm like a pinata, hitting that weaker arm until it broke. This tactic helped Swiatek win 11 of her first 13 meetings against Gauff, including a stinging 6-1, 6-3 sweep in the 2022 Roland Garros final.
Working with the coach Matt DalyGauff has tweaked her extreme western control a bit and is showing the ability to cut her return wide on hard-hit balls. Not only did Gauff stay strong in the forehand exchanges, but she hit some great shots down the line as forehands, something she rarely did against Swiatek in years past.
So is this United Cup win a turning point in a rivalry that once seemed as one-sided as Serena vs. Maria?
Has Gauff really solved the Swiatek puzzle that has plagued him for years?
Swiatek says not so fast.
The world No. 2, who played with tape wrapped around her right thigh, said she was not 100 percent fit but praised Gauff for playing “amazing” tennis.
“I’m definitely happy because, you know, I played some heavy hitters this week and also some girls who played hard,” said Swiatek, who beat Katie Boulter, Karolina Muchova and former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina. “I was able to play against both really great tennis.
“Of course I wasn’t able to give 100% today. Coco also played amazing, you know, and she’s definitely getting better. But overall I’m very happy with the week. I feel like the things I’ve been working on have really improved. But on the other hand, as you know, this week, the Australian Open is a different story, so I’ll take everything step by step and continue the work I’ve been doing.”
One result yielded two slightly different perspectives.
World No. 3 Gauff believes that if she can play this level of dynamic tennis, she can stop anyone in the world, including the two reigning Grand Slam champions ranked ahead of her.
I have the confidence that I’m one of the best players in the world and when I play good tennis, I’m hard to beat,” Gauff said. “Today I think I played some great tennis. I am happy that I was able to get a point for Team USA”.
