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Tracy Austin reveals exactly what went wrong for Coco Gauff in her loss to Barbora Krejcikova at the WTA Finals

Coco Gauff lost her final round-robin match at the WTA Finals and Tracy Austin explains what went wrong.

The 20-year-old had already reached the semi-finals but wanted to remain undefeated in the competition.

However, that run ended thanks to Barbora Krejcikova, who qualified for the WTA Finals by winning Wimbledon in July, despite finishing the season outside the world top eight.

She defeated Gauff 7:5, 6:4 and not only reached the semi-finals in Riyadh, but also topped the group ahead of the world number three.

Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

What does Tracy Austin think went wrong for Coco Gauff against Barbora Krejcikova at the WTA Finals?

Most of the time, Coco Gauff's serve or forehand is the main reason for her losing matches. Against Krejcikova it was the latter, as the Czech consistently aimed for her opponent's forehand.

She attacked with pace and variety that Gauff found difficult to manage, and it was the key to the Wimbledon champion's recent win, as Tracy Austin explained on Tennis Channel.

“The forehand broke,” said the 61-year-old. “The serve was good for Coco. She shifted her grip a little more to the right, which seems to have really helped her serve.

“A few double faults, a lot of aces, I think you said 10. But the forehand with this variation from Krejcikova, picking her up and hitting her hard, cuts. There were a lot of errors on this forehand side.

“Suddenly Coco is playing against Sabalenka in the semifinals. It's a really surprising day. I thought Coco and Sabelenka played the best today, but they both lost their last game.”

Coco Gauff of the USA during her match against Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic, on Day 6 of the 2024 WTA Finals, part of the Hologic WTA Tour, helped...
Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Coco Gauff's loss to Barbora Krejcikova at the WTA Finals was bad news for Iga Swiatek

Gauff's loss to Krejcikova means she finished second in her group and will face Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals of the WTA Finals.

The pair have played twice in 2024 and the Belarusian has triumphed both times. The result also had a significant impact on Iga Swiatek.

She needed Gauff to win her final group game to advance, but the world number three suffered defeat and so Swiatek's WTA Finals title defense is now over.

However, the Polish player seemed unaware of this fact and when it was brought to her attention in her post-match press conference, she appeared perplexed.

“Um, do you think it didn’t matter? Why not? Well…thanks,” she said with a smile. Swiatek's attention now turns to the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers in Malaga, which begin on November 13.

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