Why Coco Gauff’s title win in Auckland should give Emma Raducanu real encouragement
Coco Gauff had pushed all the way before getting her hands on the ASB Classic title for a second year in succession, with a thrilling final against Ukrainian Elina Svitolina swaying in several directions before a winner was found.
Gauff won 6-7(4) 6-3 6-3 in just over two and a half hours to make it 10 straight wins at the event, with the 19-year-old finding a way to win against a battling opponent in a high-level contest.
Gauff was put through a difficult, topsy-turvy first set, losing in a tiebreak.
But the teenager turned it around in the second and third sets as she improved her first serve success from 46 per cent to 73 per cent in the second and above 80 per cent in the third.
“I don’t know if I was expecting this result, but I’m really happy with how I managed to play today,” said Gauff.
“I think today level-wise was definitely not my best match or best level this week, but sometimes when you win when you’re not playing your best, it makes you feel more satisfied.”
Gauff went on to praise Svitolina, who has come back to tennis after having her first child with partner and fellow tennis player Gael Monfils.
She also welcomed the return of players like Naomi Osaka, who is looking to make an impact on the tennis tour again after she gave birth to her first child last year.
“I’m very excited to see players are coming back,” she added. “I’ve said it a few years ago already.
“I think that we broke the stereotype that you can’t play tennis or be an athlete and have family. This definitely has been broken and it’s actually evolving more and more.”
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While Osaka’s win is a perfect boost for the US Open champion as she heads into the Australian Open, it may also be seen as good news for another returning player, British hopeful Emma Raducanu.
Gauff was pushed all the way by Svitolina in the Auckland final, with one of the favourites for the Australian Open admitting she was tested by her Ukrainian rival before finding a way to win.
That bodes well for Raducanu, who produced an impressively high level of tennis on her return to competitive action at the same event in Auckland and pushed Svitolina in a tight second round match.
Raducanu produced some sublime tennis to take a 5-1 lead in the first set against Svitolina and while she faded in the third set of their encounter, she was a match for Svitolina in her first tournament since wrist and ankle surgery last year.
The 21-year-old Brit has secured entry to the main draw at the Australian Open after some withdrawals secured her place in the first major of 2024 and while her performances in Auckland were already encouraging, Sunday’s final between Gauff and Svitolina suggested Raducanu is playing at a level to test the best on the WTA Tour.
She will have some injury concerns after playing with a strapping on her thigh in the defeat against Svitolina, but Raducanu appears to be confident in her physical condition as she is playing an exhibition event ahead of the Australian Open, which gets underway on January 14.
While Raducanu may not be ready to take on Gauff and the biggest names in the top ten of the women’s game just yet, those who doubt the levels she can reach should hold their negative fire for a few months as the 2021 US Open champion aims to bounce back in a grand manner.
