No big surprises during this first week of the WTA Tour. In Brisbane, Australia, the top-seeded player defeated the second-seeded player. In Auckland, New Zealand, the second-seeded player defeated the top-seeded player. The Polish Iga Swiatek, the world number one, was also in Australia, in Sydney. She reached the final of the United Cup alongside her compatriot Hubert Hurkacz.
In Brisbane, the Kazakh of Russian origin, Elena Rybakina, has just won her sixth career title. She defeated the highly controversial Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, 6-0, 6-3. Known for her stoicism in press conferences and her lack of smiles during victories, she left little for her opponents throughout the tournament. She won 6-4, 6-1 against Australian qualifier Olivia Gadecki, 6-1, 6-0 against Belgian Elise Mertens, 6-1 against Russian Anastasia Potapova, who chose to retire after one set, and 6-3, 6-2 against Czech Linda Noskova in the semi-finals. It would be surprising not to see her in the final four in Melbourne.
A bit further south, the New Zealand sun has shone brightly on the 19-year-old American, Coco Gauff. The recent US Open champion needed three sets to overcome the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, who continues to impress after giving birth to her daughter Sky in 2022. The Delray Beach native from Florida didn't miss the chance to praise Svitolina for her level during her post-match interview. 6-7, 6-3, 6-3—a beautiful start to 2024. To reach this point, Coco's run has been as impressive as Rybakina's. 6-4, 6-2 against compatriot Claire Liu, 6-3, 6-0 against Czech qualifier Brenda Fruhvirtova, 6-1, 6-1 against the French-Russian Varvara Gracheva, and 6-3, 6-1 against another compatriot, Emma Navarro. Two years in a row that Coco claims the title in Auckland.
It's as a team that the Polish player Iga Swiatek began her preparation for the Australian Open. She was indeed paired with Hubert Hurkacz at the United Cup. Except for the final where she lost in doubles, the world number one won all her matches of the week. 6-2, 6-2 against Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia, 6-2, 6-1 against Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo, 6-2, 6-3 against Chinese Zheng Qinwen, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 against Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, and 6-3, 6-0 in the final against German Angelique Kerber, who hadn't played since Wimbledon 2022. Without her partner's loss against Alexander Zverev, the cup would not have slipped away from Iga.
With Rybakina, Sabalenka, Gauff, and Swiatek already at this level, the competition in Melbourne promises to be intense. Their opponents in the first week have cause for concern.
