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Maiden Win at WTA Finals Helps Coco Gauff Match Legend Venus Williams’ 1999 Feat and Make America Proud

Published 11/01/2023, 1:14 AM EDT

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From dancing in the stands as a young fan to becoming a US Open Champion, nothing is impossible; the story of the 19-year-old rising star of American tennis Coco Gauff has been quite the fairy-tale. She set the stage on fire at 15, after becoming the youngest qualifier in Wimbledon history. Ever since then, she has looked to follow in the footsteps of her idols, Serena and Venus Williams. And with a stellar performance at the WTA Finals in Cancun, she has matched the older Williams sister, inching closer to her goals!

Dreams are meant to come true if nourished with sheer dedication, hard work, and willpower. Coco Gauff became the first American teenager after Serena Williams to win the US Open in September this year. Now, just about 50 days later, she looks to follow the trail left by her elder sister. 

Yet again, Coco Gauff creates a record to etch her name beside her idol

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Apart from the rain in her debut match in Cancun, Coco Gauff was also showered with love from the fans as she danced into the next match against the number 2 seed. This was the first victory of Coco Gauff at the WTA Finals, which marked the 50th win of the season for this teenager. She became the first teenager to achieve this feat since Caroline Wozniacki in 2009. It’s also her 8th Top 10 win of this year. But that’s not all for the girl from the ‘Sunshine State‘ at the Yucatan Peninsula.

USA Today via Reuters

Coco Gauff became the first American teenager after almost 24 years of the triumph of Venus Williams to win a WTA Finals match. The gritty star defeated the number 7 from Tunisia, Ons Jabeur, quite comfortably with a 6-0, 6-1 scoreline in a 57-minute match. The start of the group stage match at the WTA Finals was delayed due to rain and had been an interrupted contest due to bad weather conditions. But even the storms couldn’t stop the epic run of the world number 3 in women’s rankings.

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This is Gauff’s first tournament after reports of her splitting up with her coach Pere Riba just after the China Open emerged. Despite the overhaul, can she overcome all the hurdles in Cancun, Mexico, and create history again? Well, for that she needs to leapfrog past Iga Swiatek first!

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Gauff looks to end the year on a high note

Coco Gauff will now face the four Grand Slam titles holder and current World Number 2 Iga Swiatek in her next group stage match on Wednesday. Swiatek started her campaign with a victory over Marketa Vondrousova 7-6(7-3), 6-0 on Monday. The ‘Queen of Clay ‘ managed to defeat the reigning Wimbledon champion quite successfully.

USA Today via Reuters

Now, Coco Gauff will look to spoil her party as she aims to snatch the number one spot from Aryna Sabalenka. Who will end up as the number one at the year-end? Although Swiatek leads the H2H with Coco Gauff with a clear margin of 8-1 in 9 of their meetings, this young American is still a mighty challenger. Surely, she wouldn’t make the mistake of taking her lightly. Who will get the upper hand in this epic clash on Wednesday? We’ll have to wait for a few days to get this answer.

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WATCH THIS STORY: Coco Gauff reveals ‘Coolest Thing’ After the US Open Win as Zendaya’s Amazing Gesture Took Her by Surprise

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Written by:

Sayantan Roy

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Sayantan Roy is a Tennis Writer at EssentiallySports. He has been following tennis for almost 17 years. His sheer love and enthusiasm for the racket sport has been a major influence in him wanting to build a career in sports journalism.
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Edited by:

Mitali Dey