Tennis: Gauff beats Svitolina to defend Auckland title

AUCKLAND: No.1 seed American Coco Gauff successfully defended her ASB Classic title as she held off a spirited effort from Elina Svitolina to register a 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 win in Sunday’s nail-biting final at the WTA 250 event.

The American teenager shook off the loss of a topsy-turvy first set before notching the victory over Ukraine’s Svitolina after 2 hours and 35 minutes of play. Gauff wins her seventh career WTA Tour singles title in the process.

The 19-year-old becomes the fourth player to win back-to-back titles in Auckland, joining Patty Fendick (1988 and 1989), Eleni Daniilidou (2003 and 2004) and Julia Goerges (2018 and 2019).

Reigning US Open champion Gauff has now won 10 straight matches at the ASB Classic after yet another victory on the hard courts of Auckland, New Zealand, according to WTA.