Coco Gauff Arrives In Cancun Enjoys First Hit In Training Ahead Of WTA Finals
WTA
Coco Gauff is the latest player of the eight-woman cohort to arrive in Cancun, Mexico, ahead of the 2023 WTA Finals.
The prestigious women's season finale is scheduled to commence on Sunday, October 29, where Gauff will attempt to close out a stellar season by winning her fifth title of 2023.
Gauff arrived on Tuesday evening, along with her coaching team and family, in a post shared by the tournament on social media. The American teenage star met with Gustavo Santoscoy Garcia, who currently works as tournament director for the WTA 1000 in Guadalajara.
Like some of her fellow competitors at the tournament who have already jetted in Cancun, Gauff was received by a Mariachi band, symbolic of Mexican music and culture, who welcomed her to the city of Cancun.
The US Open champion could not let the moment pass and briefly took some snapshots of the guitarists before posing for pictures. Less than 24 hours after landing, Gauff held her first training session.
She is in a tight battle with Elena Rybakina and, to an extent, Jessica Pegula in finishing the year in the Top 3. Just 90 points separate Gauff and Rybakina, who will avoid facing each other in the group stage since they will be in the same pot.
But she can draw one of Iga Swiatek or Aryna Sabalenka and potentially fellow doubles partner Jessica Pegula. Gauff will be on singles and doubles duty at the 2023 WTA Finals.
This is the second straight year that she has qualified for the year-end championships, and she will be keen to address her poor showing last season when she finished with zero wins in six matches (across singles and doubles).
The 2023 WTA Finals could also be the tournament that might set the tone for Coco Gauff to begin her march towards the World No. 1 ranking, which she could achieve early next year.
