Chris Evert lauds "gutsy" Coco Gauff as teenager reaches WTA Finals SF after beating Marketa Vondrousova

Coco Gauff showed her fighting spirit and resilience at the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, thus drawing praise from Chris Evert. The teenager came back from a set down to defeat reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3, in a thrilling three-setter in her last round-robin match on Friday, November 3.

Gauff qualified for the event for the second time in her career after winning her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open in September. She was drawn in the same group as Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur, and Marketa Vondrousova, who are all Grand Slam champions or finalists.

Gauff started her campaign with a convincing win over Jabeur but then lost to Swiatek in straight sets. She needed to beat Vondrousova, who had already been eliminated after losing both her previous matches, to have a chance of reaching the semifinals.

The Czech proved to be a tough opponent as she raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first set, but Gauff fought back to level at 5-5. However, Vondrousova held her nerve to take the set 7-5. Gauff dominated at the start of the second set, winning the first five games. However, she failed to serve out the set at 5-3, and Vondrousova found herself four points from victory at 6-5.

But Gauff played aggressively to win the game and force the match into a third set, eventually winning the final set 6-3 to register her 51st win of the season.

Gauff's performance earned her praise from tennis legend and former World No. 1 Chris Evert, who praised her on X.

"GUTSY…💪🏼👍👏," Evert wrote.

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Coco Gauff to face Jessica Pegula at the 2023 WTA Finals SF

Coco Gauff will face Jessica Pegula in the semifinals of the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, on Saturday, November 5.

Gauff is currently ranked No. 3 in the world, while Pegula, who reached the Australian Open quarterfinals in January, is at No. 5. Both players have had impressive seasons, winning four and two titles, respectively.

Gauff and Pegula are also good friends and doubles partners, having won five WTA titles together. They are currently ranked No. 1 in the doubles rankings.

The singles semifinal between Gauff and Pegula will be their third meeting this year, and their fourth overall. Pegula leads the head-to-head 2-1, having won their most recent encounter in the quarterfinals of the Montreal Open in October.

Both players have shown great form and resilience in Cancun. Coco Gauff overcame Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in a three-set thriller on Friday, while Jessica Pegula completed a clean sweep of her group with a straight-sets win over Maria Sakkari.

The winner will face either World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka or World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the final on Sunday, November 7.