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Tennis fans recently reacted to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff being named the best rivalry of 2023.
Swiatek and Gauff have faced each other 10 times throughout their careers. This year alone, they competed against each other on five occasions - the Dubai Tennis Championships, the French Open, the Western & Southern Open, the China Open, and the WTA Finals.
Out of their 10 encounters, Gauff has managed to defeat Swiatek only once. She achieved this victory in the Western & Southern Open semifinals, where she defeated the Pole 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4 to move to her first-ever WTA 1000 final.
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After the conclusion of the 2023 WTA season, Eurosport announced the Iga Swiatek vs Coco Gauff matchup as the "best rivalry" of the year. This left tennis fans astounded, to say the least, and they took to social media platforms to voice their opinions on the same.
One fan asserted that there is no true rivalry between the World No. 1 and the American because their head-to-head record demonstrates Swiatek's dominance over Gauff.
"What rivalry? Swiatek owns her lol," a fan posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Another fan argued that the record between Coco Gauff and the four-time Grand Slam champion cannot be classified as a rivalry just yet. Their reasoning was based on the fact that Gauff had only secured a single victory against the seasoned champion.
According to this fan, it would be more appropriate to reserve judgment and await future encounters before labeling it as a true rivalry.
"Is it even a rivalry yet…ik coco finally got a win but let’s wait til next year to call it a rivalry 😭 ," the fan posted.
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
A look into Iga Swiatek's 2023 Grand Slam campaigns
At the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, the Australian Open, Iga Swiatek's journey came to an end in the fourth round. The World No. 1 went up against the No. 22 seed, Elena Rybakina, who triumphed over her 6-4, 6-4 to make her first Australian Open quarterfinal.
Swiatek successfully defended her French Open title and claimed her fourth Grand Slam win, her third at the Roland Garros, after defeating Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in the final.
Iga Swiatek defeated the likes of Cristina Bucsa, Claire Liu, Wang Xinyu, Lesia Tsurenko, Coco Gauff, and Beatriz Haddad Maia on her way to the championship match.
The Pole's title win at the French Open marked the first time in over a decade that a woman claimed back-to-back Roland Garros singles titles, a feat previously accomplished only by Justine Henin.
Swiatek reached the quarterfinals at this year's Wimbledon Championships where she was defeated by former World No. 3, Elina Svitolina 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2, who moved into her third career Grand Slam semifinal.
Iga Swiatek defeated Lin Zhu, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Petra Martic, and Belinda Bencic on her way to the last eight.
At the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, Jelena Ostapenko delivered a blow to Iga Swiatek's title defense at the Flushing Meadows when she defeated the Pole 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the fourth round.
As a consequence of her exit from the 2023 US Open, Iga Swiatek had to give up her position as the World No. 1. She had held this top spot for 75 consecutive weeks, marking it as the third-longest first-time streak in the history of the WTA Tour.
