World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has fired the first warning shot to Coco Gauff and she wants a rematch of their US Open final bout that was won by the American.
Gauff came from a set down to beat the Belarusian and win her first Grand Slam. She became the youngest American teenager to win the US Open since Serena Williams over 20 years ago. The result culminated in mesmeric rise into the world's Top 3 for the 19-year-old who put together a near-perfect summer on home soil.
While the limelight shone on Gauff in that final, Sabalenka didn't have a pleasant experience, losing her first Grand Slam final. The two players have not crossed paths since that match, and have avoided each other in the group phase of this year's WTA Finals following Friday's draw.
Sabalenka, playing in the season finale for a third year in a row, drew Gauff's compatriot and doubles partner Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina, and Maria Sakkari in the Bacalar group. Gauff, by contrast, will square off with each of Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur, and Marketa Vondrousova in the Chemutal group.
The Belarusian wants to exorcise the demons from that US Open final defeat and when quizzed on whether she would love a rematch with the American young phenom, Sabalenka wholeheartedly agreed. The earliest we could see that matchup is in the semifinal stage.
"Yes, I would like to, I would love to (on rematch with Gauff). Of course, I was disappointed (losing the US Open final) but Coco played on another level. I just have to accept this loss and move forward. I think all of us are favorites for this tournament. It's tough to say that someone's favorite here."
This will be Sabalenka's first trip to Mexico in a year. She played at the Guadalajara Open last year where she lost to Liudmila Samsonova in the second round. She'll be looking to leave a lasting imprint this time and finish the year as the World No. 1.
"I really miss Mexico, I love this place, the food, the people and super happy to be back."
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