Coco Gauff makes emotional strides despite WTA Finals defeat, covets Kasatkina calm

WATCH: Gauff struggled in the slow conditions against Garcia, losing a second match to the French star in two months.

FORT WORTH, Texas—The WTA Finals has yielded an array of emotions in its first 48 hours, quite literally from Aryna Sabalenka’s thrill of victory to Ons Jabeur’s agony in defeat.

Coco Gauff was somewhere in the middle after a 6-4, 6-3 defeat to Caroline Garcia, emerging for her post-match press conference with puffy eyes but a clear mind when it came to what went wrong against her French rival in Fort Worth.

“I think you have to play aggressive on these courts because they are slow,” said Gauff, echoing a sentiment Maria Sakkari made on Monday. “Usually a neutral shot that maybe won't be neutral on another court, may be more of an offensive shot for the other player on this one. And that's what I credit with what Caroline did today, she used the court to her advantage. It's something that I did later on in the match. The second set was a lot better. I was playing a lot more aggressive.

“I wish I would have started doing that earlier but I guess I know better for next time.”

Looking to be the first American to win a match this week, Gauff had an advantage of playing a match on the Dickies Arena Stadium Court a day earlier, but the hindrance of a late finish and an emotional doubles defeat alongside Jessica Pegula.

While Pegula brushed off a rough start to her Finals campaign, the otherwise precocious Gauff conceded that losses remain hard to shake.

Today I can say I didn't lose because of my emotions, so I think it makes talking about the matches easier, because now we're actually playing into something that I can actually learn from and actually control whereas emotions, yeah, you can control them, but it only comes through learning and experience, which is not going to just happen overnight. Coco Gauff

“I have these strong reactions because I am so competitive and I do want to win so [my team] sees it as a good thing,” said the 18-year-old. “I tend to look at the negative side of things more so, and then usually when I re-watch the match I realize it wasn't as bad as it felt in the moment! It's something I do need to get better at, but I've come a long way.”

It’s a startling admission from one of the field’s most mentally tough athletes, one whom her elder rivals have learned never to count out—especially Garcia, who has long struggled with nerves—but Gauff nonetheless describes her emotional improvements with pride.

“I usually would not talk about a match, sometimes never and sometimes not until a week later,” she recalls. “I feel like, especially early on when I first came on tour, a lot of my losses was because of my emotions on the court, and so there was really much not to talk about strategy-wise because you're not emotionally there, you're not making the best decisions strategically.

“Today I can say I didn't lose because of my emotions, so I think it makes talking about the matches easier, because now we're actually playing into something that I can actually learn from and actually control whereas emotions, yeah, you can control them, but it only comes through learning and experience, which is not going to just happen overnight.”

Ironically, Gauff won’t have much more than a good night’s sleep to recover from Tuesday’s defeat as she’ll be back on court for another doubles match with Pegula, who plays a double-header schedule through round-robin action.

Her next singles opponent, Daria Kasatina, will more time to process her own stumble against world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, but the affable No. 8 may not need it.

It's, for me, definitely the last push of the season this week. And, of course, putting all my energy which is left altogether. Didn't work today, but I'm already preparing for the next match. Daria Kasatkina

“Every match is a different story,” she said plainly after enduring a fifth defeat to Swiatek this season. “It's, for me, definitely the last push of the season this week. And, of course, putting all my energy which is left altogether. Didn't work today, but I'm already preparing for the next match.”

A sense of futility perhaps fueled her mindset: where Gauff-Garcia had more of a toss-up feel, Kasatkina-Swiatek was the closest Group Tracy Austin has to a David vs. Goliath—only here, Goliath wields his own state-of-the-art slingshot.

When told Swiatek coach Tomasz Wiktorowski deemed this her best performance of the season against his charge, she chuckled.

“I mean, it was still two sets, but I think the level and the points of the rallies of the match was pretty decent,” she said in her inimitably winding cadence. “Physically, was a tough match as well. So, I hope next one's going to be even better!”

Kasatkina could yet avenge the loss this week—the WTA Finals format allows for a potential round-robin rematch in the final—but the Russian will first need to maintain her perfect head-to-head against Gauff, one she extended to 2-0 after a straight-set meeting in Stuttgart earlier this spring.

“She gets a lot of balls back in the court,” Gauff said. “She has a very tricky game style and it could be easy to get frustrated. So, I think I have to just focus on not being frustrated and just focusing on my end of the court.”

Emotions will only intensify as the knockout phase looms; should Gauff continue to keep hers in check and adapt her game to the stadium’s unique conditions, she may yet have something to celebrate.