Coco Gauff opens 2024 season with successful Auckland title defense

For the second straight season, Coco Gauff has opened her year with a dominant title run in Auckland. This year at the WTA 250 in New Zealand, the 19-year-old American did not drop a set until the final, when she showed her grit with a 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 triumph against Elina Svitolina.

The title is Gauff's seventh singles crown at the WTA level, following a strong 2023 season in which she won four—including her first Grand Slam at the US Open and her first WTA 1000 title in Cincinnati—to finish at a career-high WTA ranking of world No. 3.

"I don’t know if I was expecting this result, but I’m really happy with how I managed to play today," the top-seeded Gauff said after the victory. "I think today level-wise was definitely not my best match or best level this week, but sometimes when you win when you’re not playing your best, it makes you feel more satisfied."

Gauff, who has now won 10 straight matches in Auckland, did not drop a set in the first nine of those victories. But she was forced to come from behind against Svitolina after the 2023 WTA Comeback Player of the Year saved two set points on her way to winning the opening set from 5-3 down.

By picking up her first win against Ukraine's Svitolina, Gauff improved to 7-1 in WTA finals. She also extended her red-hot hard-court record to 29-4 since the start of last summer's hard-court swing—a run that now includes titles at Washington, D.C.; Cincinnati; the US Open; and Auckland.