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Several tennis fans were perplexed as Coco Gauff reportedly went on a blocking spree following her WTA Finals defeat to Iga Swiatek.
Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek, who are a part of the Chetumal group, faced off in their second round-robin match at the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun on Thursday, November 2. Swiatek started off strong, scoring a bagel in the opener.
The second set, however, was more competitive. Coco Gauff had a break advantage at 5-4, and had a chance to force a decider. But the American faltered when serving for the set, producing four double faults.
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Iga Swiatek eventually managed to turn the set in her favor and concluded the match with a 6-0, 7-5 scoreline after one hour at 29 minutes of play.
With the win, the World No. 2 extended her lead over Gauff to an astounding nine victories against one loss. Their Cincinnati Open semifinal meeting earlier this year remains Gauff’s only triumph till date.
Following the match, several tennis fans, including the supporters of Swiatek, reported that Gauff had been blocking them on the social media site X (formerly Twitter). They shared their feelings about the incident.
“It is nothing bad she knows usernames but i think as a professional athlete it is healthy and important to find balance between social media and other things,” one fan opined.
Many fans claimed that they were being blocked without reason, while a few opined that the World No. 3 was taking these measures for mental health reasons.
“This is insane. I literally always root for her. Like what,” another fan said.
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
Coco Gauff to face Marketa Vondrousova; Iga Swiatek to face Ons Jabeur in the 2023 WTA Finals
Iga Swiatek has emerged as the leader of the Chetumal group following her win over Coco Gauff at the WTA Finals. The Pole is now 2-0 in her matches, having previously defeated Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 7-6 (3), 6-0.
As things stand, Gauff is now placed second with one win and one loss. The American registered an impressive 6-0, 6-1 win over Ons Jabeur before falling to the Pole.
Jabeur, meanwhile, stands in the third position. She, too, has accumulated one victory and one defeat. Following her disappointing result against Coco Gauff, she scored a 6-4, 6-3 win over Vondrousova. The Czech is thus placed last with a 0-2 record.
However, none of the four players has earned their spot in the semifinals yet. The final round-robin matches on Friday, November 3, where Iga Swiatek will take on Ons Jabeur and Coco Gauff will face Marketa Vondrousova, will decide the two players from the group that will advance to the final four.
In the Bacalar group, meanwhile, Jessica Pegula has already qualified for the semifinals and Maria Sakkari is out of contention. Thus, the match between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina on Thursday, November 2, will decide which of the two players claims the group's last remaining WTA Finals semifinals spot.
