China Open Heartbreak Leads to More Misery for Coco Gauff as She Falls Significantly Behind Rivals Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek

Published 10/09/2023, 5:29 PM EDT

The tennis world today belongs to two different categories of players: the legendary record holders and the young rising stars with great potential. Among the league of rising stars based on this season’s performance, the young American player Coco Gauff got her name right to the top with her incredible US Open win. Based on such great achievements, fans now look forward to seeing the rising star touch the peak. But as the rising star carried her winning streak to 16 matches, she faced a defeat against her nemesis Iga Swiatek at the China Open.

The defeat had a huge impact on her possibility of ending the year as the World No. 1, Now, the current ranking points has become a matter of intrigue for the fans.

Coco Gauff’s defeat at the China Open

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As the China Open advanced to the round four, Coco Gauff stood against the current World No. 2, Iga Swiatek. Unfortunately for the American tennis star, her delightful 16-match winning streak came to an end as Swiatek managed to secure a triumph in straight sets. This defeat not only ended her winning streak, but also gave a hit to her international ranking goals.

After the China Open defeat, the young American lost her chances of ending up in the top two positions this year. Looking towards the current rankings, Gauff finds herself way behind Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek in terms of points in the race to the number one spot. Looking at the current tally, Sabalenka leads the run with 8425 points, followed by Iga, who currently holds 7795 points in all. Compared to these scores, the fan-favorite Coco Gauff is still behind both of them with 5955 points, ending the possibility of her catching the other two.

Coco Gauff has withdrawn from Zhengzhou.
After winning a Grand Slam & stringing together a 16 match win streak, she probably wants some rest.
Next stop… WTA Finals. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/2TRTPQZCHF
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 8, 2023

With a disappointing withdrawal from the WTA 500 event in Zhengzhou, Gauff has the only opportunity to participate in the WTA Finals this year, a tour holding 1600 points at max.

Why Is Iga Swiatek Such a Difficult Opponent for Coco Gauff to Tackle?

Is Coco Gauff ready for the No. 1 spot?

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After a shocking defeat at the China Open, Coco Gauff fans now stand confused with one common question: Is Coco Gauff ready to be the world number one yet? The 19-year-old’s performance this season has no doubt been remarkable. Be it the US Open victory or the 16-match winning streak, the young champion exposed the tennis world to her immense potential.

Besides the achievements, it becomes essential to consider that Gauff is still a young player with great potential and room for growth. Winning a Grand Slam and building a remarkable win streak are no doubt great accomplishments, but getting to the top of the WTA rankings requires consistent efforts and excellence over time.

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Compared to the other contenders, both Aryna and Iga are older than the American, holding more on-court experience and thus, the chances to be consistent. However, the 19-year-old still has a long professional career to look forward to and is playing some of her best tennis under the guidance of Pere Riba and Brad Gilbert. If she can carry her recent form into 2024, then the world number 1 ranking will be well within her reach.

Watch this story: 19-Year-Old Coco Gauff Reveals Plans Featuring Drake and Jaden Smith to Revolutionize the Not-So-Cool Tennis

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Written by:

Akshay Kapoor is a tennis writer at Essentially Sports. With a commendable 1.5 years of experience under his belt, this maestro of words spent half of that time honing his craft in the niche world of tennis news writing.

Edited by:

Tony Thomas

China Open Heartbreak Leads to More Misery for Coco Gauff as She Falls Significantly Behind Rivals Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek

Coco Gauff’s defeat at the China Open

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