Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula will face off in an all-American affair in the semi-final of the 2023 WTA Finals. The last time two players from the United States played each other at this stage in the WTA Finals was 21 years ago. Serena Williams defeated Jennifer Capriati in the semi-finals of the season-ending tournament in 2002.
Pegula topped the Bacalar Group with a 3-0 W/L record. She beat Elena Rybakina, Maria Sakkari, and Aryna Sabalenka to finish the round-robin with a clean sweep. Gauff, meanwhile, finished second in the Chetumal group with a 2-1 record. She downed Ons Jabeur and Marketa Vondrousova but lost to Iga Swiatek. The teenager trails her senior compatriot 1-2 in the head-to-head, losing their last meeting in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Canadian Open. Before that, Gauff beat Pegula at the same stage in the 2023 Eastbourne International.
Witnessing an all-American semi-final in the WTA Finals is a shot in the arm for an otherwise ailing tennis culture in the USA. It has been over two decades since the United States had a strong enough presence to have two women in the final four of the season-ending championship. Serena Williams and Jennfier Capriati squared off for the fifth time in 2002 in the semi-finals of the WTA Finals. Like all four clashes before, it was Williams who emerged victorious. Overall, their head-to-head stands at 10-7 in favour of Williams.
Four of those wins for Capriati came before Williams turned 20. After that, the latter dominated 9-3. Capriati, despite her ordinary record, was one of the better fellow American rivals Serena had. The likes of Monica Seles and Lindsay Davenport were past their prime when she rose. For the majority of her career, her biggest domestic challenger was none other than Venus Williams. Serena often kept the American flag flying in the WTA single-handedly, especially in the later stages of her career.
Now, however, there are a handful of female tennis players from the USA at the highest level. Gauff and Pegula are ranked third and fifth, respectively. There are a total of eight American women in the WTA top 50, all under the age of 30. The historic semi-final between the two Americans in the 2023 WTA Finals could be a kickstarter for a bright future for women’s tennis in the United States.
Could Coco Gauff be the answer to America’s search for the next Serena Williams?
American tennis has been looking for a superstar player, male or female, who can dominate on the court and grab headlines off it. However, since Andre Agassi on the men’s side and Serena Williams on the women’s, no one has suitably taken up that mantle. The search for the next Serena has continued ever since the legend’s twilight years. Sloane Stephens showed initial promise but eventually failed to reach those lofty standards.
With Gauff’s resurgence in 2023, fans in the USA will hope that their search ends with her. She has been around for so long, it is easy to forget she is only 19. She already has a WTA 1000 title and a Grand Slam under her belt. After years of meddling results, Gauff’s fortunes shifted after a coaching change.
She got renowned coach Brad Gilbert on her staff, alongside Pere Riba. She soon won her first WTA 500 trophy and followed it up the with Cincinnati Masters and the US Open. With a long career in front of her and a great coaching staff, Coco Gauff can only go higher. Her first-ever semi-finals at the WTA Finals is a step in the right direction. She could be the successor to Serena Williams whom American tennis badly needs.
