2022 WTA Finals, Day 2: Coco Gauff falls to Caroline Garcia in singles debut

On Tuesday night at WTA Finals, Coco Gauff was out for revenge. In 78 minutes, Caroline Garcia denied her a chance for it.

In a rematch of the US Open quarterfinal they played in September, sixth-seeded Garcia was a 6-4, 6-3 winner over fourth-seeded Gauff in each woman's first round-robin singles match of the year-end championships. 

Read more: 'Grateful' Coco Gauff seeing the big picture at 2022 WTA Finals

In New York, it was Garcia who started quickly; she led 4-0 to begin what was an eventual 6-3, 6-4 win inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. In Texas, Gauff was the first to break serve—she won the opening game of the match—but her lead didn't last. Garcia broke her right back, and again in the last game to take the set. France's top player later broke serve twice in the second set, and Gauff never got even; a mid-set spark, thanks in part to world-class defense on break point, helped Gauff get back on serve 3-1, 30-0 down in the fifth game, but Garcia broke again, at love, and kept the lead for good. 

Appearing in her second WTA Finals, Garcia hit 20 winners to Gauff's 12 to level their all-time head-to-head at 2-2. 

"Caroline played a great match," Gauff told reporters afterwards. "There were some

points I could have played better. ... I just have to learn from it and try to get ready for the next one, and I think that's what makes this format interesting."

Gauff—like her fellow American Pegula, who lost her first match on Monday—will now have to rebound when she returns to the court on Thursday against Daria Kasatkina with one defeat already on her ledger. But bouncing back is something Gauff says she's gotten accustomed to over the course of her breakout 2022. 

"It's something that I've learned, to bounce back, mainly because of doubles," Gauff said. "A lot of times, you're playing matches after you lost or won or vice versa: you lose a doubles match, and the next day, you have to play singles.