"An honor getting to throw the coin for Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek San Diego Open QF" - Swimmer Michael Andrew
Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek met for a fourth time on the tour last week in the quarterfinals of the San Diego Open, the inaugural edition of the WTA 500 tournament.
There wasn't much of a difference in the result compared to the previous three matches as the World No.1 Pole continued her dominance over the 18-year-old American, beating her 6-0, 6-3 in one hour and five minutes. Gauff is yet to take a set off Swiatek as she has lost all four encounters in straight sets.
The 21-year-old has previously defeated the American in the 2021 Italian Open semifinals, in the third round of the 2022 Miami Open, and in the final of the 2022 French Open.
American swimmer Michael Andrew was not only present during the much-anticipated quarterfinal clash, he was also given the responsibility of the coin-toss before the match. The 23-year-old, who sported his 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medal, took to social media yesterday to express gratitude towards the tournament organizers for giving him the honor. He also congratulated San Diego Open singles winner Swiatek and doubles champions Gauff and Jessica Pegula.
"An honor getting to throw the coin for @cocogauff and @iga.swiatek quarterfinals match the other day! Thank you @sandiegoopen and @vossworld for this opportunity! Congrats @iga.swiatek on becoming San Diego Open Champion, and to @cocogauff and Jess Pegula on becoming doubles champions," Andrew wrote on his Instagram.
In a rematch of the 2022 French Open final, Swiatek broke her opponent five times while Gauff did not manage to do so even once. However, the American had reason to smile as she, along with compatriot Pegula, downed Giuliana Olmos of Mexico and Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada 1-6, 7-5, 10-4 in the doubles final to lift the title.
Coco Gauff to take on Elisabetta Cocciaretto in Guadalajara Open R2
Coco Gauff will continue her hunt for her first singles title of the season at the Guadalajara Open, a WTA 1000 tournament scheduled to be played from October 17-23 in Mexico. The 18-year-old American, who has just achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 7, will lock horns with qualifier Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy in the second round on Wednesday.
Being the fifth seed in the tournament, Coco Gauff received a bye in her first round. A few of the other players to grace the event are Paula Badosa, Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, Maria Sakkari, Caroline Garcia, and Daria Kasatkina.
The WTA Finals is the next big event on the women's circuit, starting October 31.