3 unforgettable comeback wins that defined women’s tennis in 2024
There were WTA matches in 2024 where players made great comebacks. Check out the list featuring Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff.
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Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff (Images via X)
Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka made headlines for their performances throughout the season. While Swiatek dominated in the beginning until the French Open, the Belarusian was unstoppable on hard courts in the later part of the season.
Coco Gauff then joined them following her disappointing result at the US Open where she was then the defending champion. While there were a few big upsets (Swiatek’s defeat to Qinwen Zheng in the Olympics semifinal in Paris), these three players won together eight WTA titles. They were on the cusp of defeats several times but the challenge never unnerved them.
In this article, read about those matches that defined women’s tennis in 2024. The list features two matches of Swiatek and one of Gauff.
Iga Swiatek vs Aryna Sabalenka in Madrid Open
Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka clashed three times in 2024 with the Madrid Open final being their first meeting. Swiatek, except for her quarterfinal match against Beatriz Haddad Maia and the final, won all the matches in straight sets.
Sabalenka on the other hand, had a contrasting result in the Spanish capital. She just won one match in straight sets, against Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals.
WTA matches are criticized for being one-sided but the Swiatek versus Sabalenka doesn’t certainly fall under this category. After winning the first set, Swiatek lost the second and in the third set, she won but not before saving three championship points! The match lasted for 3 hours and 11 minutes.
Iga Swiatek vs Naomi Osaka in French Open
Iga Swiatek arrived in the French capital for the second Major event and was the heavy favorite. The five-time Grand Slam champion breezed past an unseeded Leolia Jeanjean in the first round to schedule a second-round clash with four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
Osaka, even though she had not been playing her best tennis consistently post her comeback from maternity leave, wasn’t ready to falter easily against the Pole. Both the players gave each other tough competition and with great effort, Swiatek won the first set.
Osaka bounced back and restricted the then-three-time French Open champion to just one game in the second set. The Japanese star was on the verge of making one of the biggest upsets of 2024 but Swiatek persevered, giving her all until she finally secured a berth in the third round with a scoreline of 7-6, 1-6, 7-5. Swiatek won her next matches, including the final with ease to win her fourth French Open.
Coco Gauff vs Qinwen Zheng in WTA Finals
Coco Gauff, except for her ASB Classic, was trophyless on the WTA Tour until the China Open. She qualified for the WTA Finals and was handed a tough draw, for Iga Swiatek was in her group.
After beating compatriot Jessica Pegula, Gauff had a daunting task ahead of her in the form of Swiatek against whom, the American then had won just a match in their 12 encounters. But Gauff registered her second win over the 23-year-old and in spite of her defeat against Barbora Krejcikova, she qualified for the semifinals.
She overcame Sabalenka in the last four and had to deal with Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng in the summit clash. Zheng took the lead but couldn’t capitalize on it in the next set. In the decider, although there were momentum shits throughout the set, Gauff finally prevailed and took home her first WTA Finals title.
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Gouri Das
(4691 Articles Published)