Coco Gauff played much great tennis at the two WTA 1000 tournaments during the Asian swing. The American has revealed how many more events she will play in 2024.
Gauff took some time off after the US Open. She was unable to defend her points from winning last year's Cincinnati Open and US Open and dropped from No. 2 down to No. 6 in the rankings as a result.
Afterward, the 20-year-old decided to part ways with her coach, Brad Gilbert. The 63-year-old, who also coached Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi, was on Gauff's team for the 2023 US Open triumph, but they struggled to build on that success.
Gauff made the perfect start with new coach Matt Daly. She won the second WTA-1000 tournament of her career at the China Open in Beijing with a sublime performance in the final against Karolina Muchova.
That was followed by more solid performances at the Wuhan Open. Gauff did not drop a set in three comprehensive victories to set up a blockbuster semifinal against Aryna Sabalenka.
Unfortunately for the American, her issues on the second serve returned in the final two sets against the Belarusian. Despite playing an exceptional first set, Gauff's 21 double faults in the match meant she fell to a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat.
However, that run to the semifinal was still enough for Gauff to rise in this week's WTA rankings. She moved from No. 4 to No. 3, overtaking Jessica Pegula as the new American No. 1 in the process.
The China Open and Wuhan Open were the final WTA-1000 tournaments of the season. This year's Asian swing has two more weeks that contain a WTA-500 tournament before it finishes with a pair of WTA-250 events from October 28th to November 3rd.
Players are taking different approaches to the remaining Asian tournaments of 2024. For instance, Jasmine Paolini and Emma Navarro were planning to play at this week's Ningbo Open before having to withdraw, while Qinwen Zheng will compete in Ningbo.
Gauff confirmed in an Instagram post that she will play no further tournaments in Asia and that there is only one event remaining for her in 2024.
"Last night here in China after 4 weeks. Had a great time, thanks for the warm welcome and support during this swing. Only one more tournament left for the season WTA Finals in Riyadh."
The 2023 US Open champion was one of four players who booked their place at the WTA Finals during the Wuhan Open. That might have reduced any temptation to play more tournaments in Asia.
Gauff's Instagram post also confirmed that she will not represent Team USA at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals that take place the week after the WTA Finals. The team event will be Danielle Collins' final professional appearance before retiring.
The 20-year-old was not on the team announced last month, but her social media post confirms her absence. Although the USA's team remains strong, not having Gauff on it is undoubtedly a blow to their chances.