"Iga Swiatek's still got it over Coco Gauff" - American's China Open loss proves Pole's dominance in women's tennis, says Casey Dellacqua

Former Australian tennis player Casey Dellacqua believes Coco Gauff's defeat to Iga Swiatek at the 2023 China Open proves the latter's sustained dominance in women's tennis.

Gauff and Swiatek recently locked horns in the semifinals of the WTA 1000 event in Beijing. The latter delivered one of her best performances of the season to secure a commanding 6-3, 6-4 win over the 19-year-old.

The American, who claimed her first-ever win over the World No. 2 en route to her maiden WTA 1000 title at the Cincinnati Open, recorded her eighth loss to the Pole in nine matches.

Dellacqua shared her thoughts on the clash after the match. She asserted that despite Coco Gauff's remarkable triumph at the US Open, Iga Swiatek's win in Beijing substantiated her continued dominance in women's tennis.

"If I’m going to touch on one piece, it’s probably Swiatek beating Gauff. I think we all saw what Gauff was able to achieve at the US Open but I think in terms of domination and in terms of who’s still at the top of the women’s game, you can’t go past Swiatek," she said at 16:30 on the 'What's in store for AO24?' episode of 'The AO Show' podcast.

The Australian highlighted the World No. 2's sustained excellence and dominant record against Gauff as further proof of her supremacy.

"Particularly at this time of the year she’s still putting in some great performances. She’s still got it over Coco Gauff in terms of head-to-head so it’s great for the women’s game," she added.

Dellacqua also expressed her appreciation for the evolving rivalries on the WTA tour. She stated that she was looking forward to witnessing them in action at the 2024 Australian Open.

"Some great rivalries evolving and we’ll see what the rest of the year, the WTA Finals is just around the corner and then what we see at AO in 2024 will be really interesting but very exciting as well," she said.

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Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek set to miss Billie Jean King Cup Finals 2023

Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek

Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula are set to miss the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Finals due to scheduling conflicts with the WTA Finals.

Gauff, Swiatek and Pegula have all qualified for the year-end championships, scheduled to take place from October 29 to November 5, in Cancun, Mexico. However, the Billie Jean King Cup Finals are scheduled right after, from November 7-12, in Seville, Spain, allowing the players very little time for recovery.

Swiatek and Pegula skipped the Billie Jean King Cup last year as well. Coco Gauff, meanwhile, did participate in the event last year, but the American squad failed to advance past the group stage.