Coco Gauff is the new American No. 1 in women’s singles once again, despite an early exit at the Qatar Open, which concluded on Sunday with Karolina Muchova lifting the trophy after beating Victoria Mboko in the final. Gauff played her only match in the Qatar Open against lucky loser Elisabetta Cocciaretto, who defeated the American in straight sets.
Doha hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the defending Roland Garros champion, who has been knocked out in the opening round of the tournament three times. However, Gauff rose in the WTA rankings even before she played her only match of the event, after last year’s champion and fellow American Amanda Anisimova lost her opening-round match, thereby launching the 21-year-old to the fourth spot in the rankings.
It resulted in a one-spot rise for Gauff, who remained ahead of Australian Open semifinalist Jessica Pegula in fifth, as Anisimova dropped to sixth. Gauff wasn’t the only player to rise in the WTA rankings; teenage sensation Mboko also broke into the top 10 for the very first time after a successful campaign at the Qatar Open, where she finished as the runner-up.
Despite managing to stay in the top 5 after yet another disappointing performance at a WTA 1000 tournament, Gauff will be hopeful of getting back to winning ways and putting an end to her losing streak since the Australian Open shocker against Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals.
The two-time Grand Slam champion has a bright opportunity of making a winning run in the next WTA 1000 event in Dubai, which starts on Monday, especially after the top two seeds withdrew from the tournament last week.
Coco Gauff Makes Her Feelings Clear Over Sabalenka and Swiatek Withdrawals from the Dubai Open
Ahead of the Dubai Open, Gauff addressed the media for a press conference. During the media interaction, the 21-year-old shared her honest opinions on Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek withdrawing from the tournament just days before the opening day.
“Yeah, I mean, for me, I don’t think I’ve ever really pulled out of a 1000 that I can remember off the top of my head. I definitely don’t think players do it, like they just don’t want to play. I don’t think it’s that decision. You look at, like, burnout throughout the year. Although maybe it might not affect you now, it will affect you later,” Gauff said.
Furthermore, on the question of docking points for players who voluntarily withdraw from a tournament, Gauff took a clear stance, recognizing the challenges of the tiring schedule and siding with her fellow WTA players.
“Do I think players should be docked points? Not really. We already have the mandatory. We get zeros on our ranking for everything. For this point in the schedule, I think it’s hard to play all the tournaments now that they’re two weeks… I don’t think it’s fair for players to get docked points. I think, if anything, we should have an optional 1000 like the men do with Monte-Carlo. Yeah, I think that’s a little bit harsh in my opinion,” Gauff said.
Gauff begins her journey in the Dubai Open on Tuesday in the round of 32, with her opponent yet to be announced.
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