The summer of 2023 was a significant period for Coco Gauff, as she emerged as a dominant force in American tennis. Her success on the hard courts culminated in a memorable victory at the US Open in September. Now, a year later, Gauff finds herself back on the North American hard courts, facing the pressure of defending her ranking points from the previous year. With several strong contenders waiting to potentially surpass her, the 20-year-old has a challenging task ahead. In this article, we will examine what Gauff can expect in the coming month.
Twelve months ago, Gauff responded impressively to an early exit at Wimbledon by excelling in the summer hard-court season. Despite her young age, she started the summer with a triumph at the WTA 500 event in Washington, defeating Maria Sakkari in the final. This was followed by her first WTA 1000 victory in Cincinnati, where she defeated Iga Swiatek for the first time and then triumphed over Karolina Muchova in the final. Gauff’s summer was capped off by her remarkable run to her first major title at the US Open. She defeated Jelena Ostapenko and Muchova to reach the final, where she came from behind to defeat Aryna Sabalenka. These victories earned her over 3,000 ranking points, and now she faces the challenge of defending as many of those points as possible.
Despite the pressure, Gauff has done a commendable job of protecting her ranking. While early exits may not result in a significant drop in her rankings, the stakes are still high. This is mainly due to the number of points she needs to defend in Cincinnati and New York. Additionally, Gauff has already lost the ranking points from her victory in Washington, as she chose to participate in the Olympics instead of defending her title. Behind her in the rankings, there are a few players with fewer points to defend who could potentially surpass her. One notable contender is Sabalenka, who currently sits less than 500 points behind Gauff. Although Sabalenka has fewer points to defend, her run to the US Open final means she still has a significant number of points to protect. Furthermore, she is still working her way back into form after a shoulder injury. Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini, ranked fourth and fifth respectively, are also within striking distance, although there is a more considerable gap between them and Gauff.
Despite multiple withdrawals from the Canadian Open, Gauff has decided to participate. As the top seed in Toronto, she has a significant opportunity to secure her second WTA 1000 title. Although her recent form has been inconsistent, a strong performance this week could propel Gauff to even greater success this summer. The likes of Swiatek, Rybakina, and Paolini have all withdrawn, leaving Sabalenka as the second seed and defending champion Jessica Pegula as the third seed. Gauff must be considered one of the favorites for the title, as a victory could earn her 1,000 points and solidify her position in the rankings.
A successful week in Toronto would provide Gauff with the perfect platform to build upon for the rest of the summer. As she aims to reach greater heights in her career, Gauff’s performance in the coming weeks will be closely watched and analyzed.
Photo from Coco Gauff Instagram
