Beating the skepticism of naysayers, even if you’re the best, is an art only a few can master. But we’re glad to say that Coco Gauff is no less than an artist in her own right. Having lost her first match at the WTA Finals against fellow American Jessica Pegula with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, she showed that champions are defined by how they respond, not how they start. The 2x Grand Slam winner bounced back with an emphatic 6-3, 6-2 win over Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in her second round-robin match. Moving forward, Gauff will now face world number one Aryna Sabalenka. With a victory set to secure her a spot in the semifinals, the 21-year-old has been issued a stern warning about revisiting an old game plan.

Serve has been one of the major issues for Coco Gauff. Granted, the defending WTA Final champion has made significant improvements recently. However, hitting 17 double faults against Pegula only raises more eyebrows regarding her serve. even though she ended up being successful against the Italian star.

When reflecting on the match on Sky Sports, former British number one Laura Robson was asked if she thinks this same tactic would work for Gauff against Sabalenka, to which she admitted it would be a much bigger challenge. “It’s going to be harder to do it,” responded Robson.

“I think that’s where we are going to be on serve watch again. Because if she is going to roll it in for a kick serve I am sure we are going to see Sabalenka step up to the baseline and hit as many return winners as possible. It’s a different challenge, but most importantly she can gain some confidence from today and play herself into form this week.”

(This is a developing story…)