Coco Gauff came agonizingly close to extending her stellar season at the WTA Finals.
asserted
Gauff → come → Finals
In her fifth consecutive Finals appearance, Gauff won two of her three matches, as did Linda Noskova and Jessica Pegula.
asserted
Noskova → win → matches
However, she narrowly missed out on making the semifinals based on set-percentage tiebreakers.
asserted
she → miss → tiebreakers
She won one fewer set than Pegula, so Pegula advanced.
asserted
Pegula → win → Pegula
The other scenario in which Gauff could have moved on was out of her control.
uncertain
Gauff → move → control
Wimbledon champion Noskova lost to Pegula after holding a match point, and that meant Gauff was eliminated from the event she won in 2024.
asserted
she → lose → 2024
She rallied to win the last six games and beat Marta Kostyuk on Thursday in her final official match of the year.
asserted
She → rally → year
“I didn’t want to be sad walking off the court,” she said.
asserted
she → want → court
“Obviously with a win that helps, but even with a loss, I just wanted to still feel good about myself.
asserted
I → help → myself
It still was a lucrative week in the Southern California desert for the 22-year-old ranked fourth in the world.
asserted
It → rank → world
Gauff took home $680,000.
asserted
Gauff → take → 680,000
She finished the year with a 49-16 match record, including a title in Cincinnati (beating Pegula).
asserted
She → finish → Pegula
She reached finals in Miami and Rome and semifinals in Dubai and Toronto.
asserted
She → reach → Dubai
Her season prize money totaled just over $7 million.
asserted
money → total → million
At the Grand Slam events, where it matters most to the top players, Gauff was 16-4.
asserted
Gauff → matter → players
She reached the semis at Wimbledon for the first time and the same stage at the U.S. Open.
asserted
She → reach → Open
“Anytime for me that I don’t have a Slam (title) in the season, it’s always going to be more to be desired,” she said.
asserted
she → have → season
“But I definitely think I made pushes in areas and improvements, particularly in the grass court area.
asserted
I → think → area
That was a part of my game I wanted to improve, and I proved that.”
asserted
I → want → that
Gauff has worked to smooth her once rocky road that included early-round exits, being done in by double-faulting on her serve, and dealing with public pressure as one of the most successful Black female players since the Williams sisters dominated the WTA Tour.
asserted
sisters → work → Tour
“My goal this season was to be more consistent,” she said.
asserted
she → say → ?
“I think that’s something that I can continue to build on.
asserted
I → think → that
And the more I put myself in those semis and finals positions, I have faith that I’ll take more titles.”
asserted
I → put → titles
Gauff plans to wear a smart ring on court next year.
asserted
Gauff → plan → court
It tracks dozens of health and wellness metrics, including sleep stages and daily activity.
asserted
It → track → stages
She had it on briefly at Indian Wells.
asserted
She → have → Wells
“It tells me I need to sleep more,” she said, smiling.
asserted
she → tell → me
“I’m like really a night owl, and I can’t hide from my team anymore about how late I’m staying up.
asserted
I → ’m → team
I’m just usually doom scrolling, that’s the problem.”
asserted
that → ’m → ?
Last month, Gauff was the target of what she said was an “insane” amount of racist comments and accusations of cheating on social media while playing the China Open.
asserted
she → say → Open
In her third-round match against Chinese teenager Sun Xinran, she stopped playing mid-point when a courtside electronic board flickered.
asserted
board → stop → Xinran
The point was replayed and Gauff won, 7-5, 6-1.
asserted
Gauff → replay → ?
The online backlash was swift, and an emotionally drained Gauff lost her next match.
asserted
Gauff → drain → match
She withdrew from her next event, the Wuhan Open, where she was the defending champion.
asserted
she → withdraw → event
“It was more like a mental thing after Beijing that I just needed to reset,” she said.
asserted
she → need → that
The United Nations’ human rights office even weighed in, urging solidarity to push back against racist and sexist vitriol.
Knowing the heavy external stress Gauff is exposed to, her team encourages her to socialize more away from tennis.
asserted
team → weigh → tennis
She was out on Halloween and she left the desert to attend Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival this weekend in Los Angeles.
asserted
she → leave → Angeles
“I am someone that when I am on tour, I can be almost too locked in sometimes or I’m not enjoying,” she said.
asserted
she → lock → locked
“So I think it’s nice to have those breaks.”
asserted
it → think → breaks
Gauff will compete for the U.S. against Hungary in the Billie Jean King Cup playoffs on Nov. 20-22 in her hometown of Delray Beach, Florida.
asserted
Gauff → compete → Beach
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
