Coco Gauff qualified for the semifinals of the WTA Finals for the first time, but her second group match did not go as planned.
The 19-year-old dropped the first set 6-0 but her resilience came to the fore in the second set, breaking Swiatek's serve and served to force a third set at 5-4. But she stumbled spectacularly, coughing four double faults.
She paid a hefty price for her inability to serve for the set as Swiatek won the final two games to seal a straight sets win. Despite the head-spinning hype that accompanied the match, the American teenager hasn't come close to solving Swiatek's riddle more regularly.
Gauff remains with just one win in 10 meetings in the series and the Pole has become a real kryptonite on her mind. After the match, several tennis fans, some of whom were diehard fans of Swiatek, noted with concern that Gauff had embarked on a blocking spree on X (formerly Twitter).
Recently, the young American warned tennis fans who spill social media hate that she was aware of what they're writing about her and who is "talking trash" and even went on to mention that she knew their usernames.
Since she rose to prominence, the World No. 3 has stated that she is unperturbed by online hate and actually feeds from people trolling on the internet. But following her defeat to Swiatek, it certainly looked like Gauff was not impressed by what she saw from her timeline.
Those fans who were affected without even spreading any negativity shared their opinions. One fan wrote, "It is nothing bad she knows usernames but i think as a professional athlete it is healthy and important to find a balance between social media and other things."
Gauff might have made a mistake searching up her name on X which affected her emotions, according to one comment. Another fan shared a screenshot showing his account on the block list and expressed his shock, "This is insane. I literally always root for her. Like what."
Another one was also left in a state of confusion, saying, "Never said anything bad about her... like girl I get u are pissed but..." It will be fascinating to hear what Gauff will have to say about it. Maybe she is waiting for the end of the tournament to lift the lid on this issue.
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