Iga Swiatek’s coach drops hints to Coco Gauff with WTA Finals fate in American’s hands
Iga Swiatek’s fate at the WTA Finals depends on Coco Gauff’s results.
Iga Swiatek’s new coach Wim Fissette had a message for one of her rivals (Image: Getty)
Iga Swiatek’s coach sent a message to Coco Gauff as the Pole’s WTA Finals fate rested in her hands.
Swiatek ended the round-robin stage with a 2-1 record after beating Daria Kasatkina in 51 minutes.
But the world No. 2 won’t make it out of the group and into the semi-finals unless Gauff beats Barbora Krejcikova in Thursday’s last singles match.
It’s the final day of round-robin action at the WTA Finals and this is when the scenarios get tricky. The top two players from each group managed to advance to the semi-finals.
In the orange group, Gauff has already guaranteed herself a pot in the last four but she has yet to determine whether she will finish the group in first or second place. The last semi-final spot is also still up for grabs.
Swiatek needed under an hour to breeze past Kasatkina 6-1 6-0 on Thursday after the Russian came in as an alternate following Jessica Pegula’s withdrawal. But her win is irrelevant – her fate lies with Gauff.
If the American loses to Krejcikova, Swiatek will be eliminated. If Gauff beats the Wimbledon champion, she will top the group, Swiatek will reach the semis and Krejcikova will be knocked out.
Ahead of Gauff’s all-important clash with the Czech star, Swiatek’s new coach Wim Fissette dropped some hints to encourage the world No. 3 to keep Swiatek in the tournament.
The result of Coco Gauff’s last round-robin match will determine the group standings (Image: Getty)
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Asked how much they had been paying attention to the group scenarios, Fissette told Sky Sports: “I mean, until now not so much. We wanted to win this match no matter what. But of course the next match is going to be interesting.”
However, the renowned WTA coach thought Gauff had every reason to try and win, which would put Swiatek into the semi-finals. He continued: “I mean, if I was Coco and if I was her coach, I would try to go into the semis with a good feeling and that is like trying to play her best tennis now.”
If Gauff beats Krejcikova, she will top the group and play Qinwen Zheng in the semi-finals. If she loses, she will have to face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the last four.
And Fissette also thought that would motivate Gauff. “And I think, if she has to choose between playing Sabalenka or Zheng, I would probably choose Zheng,” he added. “So I think there are a lot of reasons for her to try to win.”
Fissette is arguably one of the most sought-after coaches on the women’s tour. He’s worked with Angelique Kerbet, Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka and Naomi Osaka to name a few
He split from Osaka after the US Open while Gauff also parted ways with her long-term coach Tomasz Wiktorowski at a similar time and said she wanted her first “non-Polish” mentor. The world No. 2 soon hired Fissette and he headed to Warsaw to spend 10 days with Swiatek before the WTA Finals.
Explaining why he was keen to join her team, the Belgian coach said: “I’ve seen her play so much in the last years and seen her practice also with intensity that every coach dreams of.
“I think her game is already very good, she’s been No. 1 in the past years, but I still think there’s a lot to improve. The serve is clear there’s room for improvement but also I think the forehand can be heavier, faster and probably we can add a little bit of variation to her game.”
