By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday October 6, 2023
Within the midst of her career-best 16-match successful streak, after her newest triumph, a 6-2, 6-4 win over Greece’s Maria Sakkari, 19-year-old Coco Gauff admitted that it doesn’t fairly really feel like she has received 16 in a row, and amassed the longest successful streak on the WTA Tour this yr.
“It would not really feel like 16. It type of glided by quick,” she stated.
What she does know – and is happy about – is the truth that she believes she has not touched the tip of the iceberg together with her blossoming recreation but. Gauff could be the hottest participant within the sport in the mean time, and recent off her maiden main triumph, the place she turned the youngest American to win the US Open since Serena Williams in 1999, however she very a lot believes that one of the best is but to come back.
Extra Excited for the Future
“Proper now I am doing these wins, however I do not really feel like I am taking part in my greatest,” she informed reporters in Beijing, forward of her semifinal conflict with Iga Swiatek on Sunday (Saturday within the US). “I imply, everyone is aware of I’ve loads to work on and might enhance on. I feel that is what makes me much more excited for the longer term, is as a result of I do know I can play higher and I can enhance on issues.
“If I am successful proper now, not that will probably be simpler sooner or later, however a minimum of, I do not know, I really feel like a few of the wins could be a little bit extra simple.”
Tea, calligraphy & taking part in the guzheng 🫖🖋️🎼@CocoGauff samples the native tradition on her first go to to Beijing forward of the @ChinaOpen!#ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/24T3j2ptum
— wta (@WTA) October 1, 2023
On Dealing with Swiatek
Gauff will put her successful streak on the road towards the Polish juggernaut, who’s the WTA’s win chief in 2023, with 61.
The American snapped a seven-match run of futility towards Swiatek on this yr’s Cincinnati remaining (she had misplaced all 14 units contested towards Swiatek previous to that match) and says she is much more assured now than she was then.
She additionally believes that Swiatek deserves extra credit score for the kind of season she has had, even when she hasn’t at all times met the lofty expectations which have been set for her.
We can be there it doesn’t matter what ⭐️⭐️@ChinaOpen | #ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/4lXAuv9kwx
— wta (@WTA) October 6, 2023
“I’ve seen a few of the feedback individuals are saying, like she [didn’t have a] good season. I imply, she received a slam and was No. 1 ceaselessly,” she stated, referring to Swiatek’s 75-week run on the high of the WTA rankings, which ended after the US Open. “I am like, I’d dream to have the season like she had this yr.”
Gauff, who has been loving her time in China, having fun with breakfasts of fried noodles and nutella – “I like Chinese language meals so I’ve no complaints,” she stated – says she’s going to enter her tussle with Swiatek with no expectations.
“I feel it will be a troublesome match,” she stated. “The kind of matches I had earlier than, I am not going to attempt to put an excessive amount of stress on myself. I misplaced to her a number of instances. I am simply making an attempt my greatest to shut the head-to-head a bit bit nearer. I will attempt to get quantity two on the board. If not, I am actually proud of how I performed this week. I really feel extra assured entering into than I did in Cincinnati.”