Iga Swiatek and defending champion Coco Gauff are all set to lead the main draw at the US Open. They are also two of the favorites to win this tournament this year. Both of them had a decent run this season and fans have witnessed quite a few ‘cat-and-mouse chases’ between the two on the points table. Gauff had her chances to close the gap with Swiatek this year, but she failed. Swiatek looks more like an immovable object and fans are baffled at the difference between the two.

Iga Swiatek is currently sitting at the top spot with a comfortable 3112 lead over the number two. The 20-year-old star has 8173 points as of now, whereas the Polish superstar has earned 11,285 points this season. Looking at these numbers, fans have now started to predict ominous times for Gauff in the remainder of the 2024 season.

Talking about the results of their previous meetings, that picture is even more grim for the Atlanta native. She has won just one match out of her twelve against Swiatek. One thing perhaps she has understood pretty well right now, i.e., if she wants to win any big title in her career, she needs to overcome the Polish hurdle. Swiatek has won five titles this season, compared to just one of Gauff. Her consistency is perhaps one of the biggest reasons for such a big gap with the second-best!

Gauff needs a bit of luck, accompanied by a top-notch performance for the rest of the season, to challenge Swiatek to get her spot before the end of the season. Both had a disappointing campaign at Wimbledon this year. A title at SW19 would’ve earned Gauff almost 1990 points, and she could’ve closed the gap a bit with Swiatek, but she failed. Here’s how fans are reacting after looking at such an enormous lead of Iga Swiatek over the American.

Fans highlight the worrying signs in Coco Gauff’s chase to become the world number one

This year being an Olympic year, both of these tennis stars will miss out on a few WTA tournaments and drop a few points. However, after the Olympics, Gauff will start as the defending champion at the Mubadala Citi DC Open and the Cincinnati Masters. Then there will be the US Open, so quite a busy time awaits for the American tennis star. Reflecting on how “crazy” the gap has turned out now, a fan wrote, “It will be even bigger because Gauff defends 2 big tournaments till US Open, and will be very tough to defend them this year.”

Gauff will start as the defending champion with 900 points, while in the US Open, she will have to defend 2000 points. A failure to win the title over there would prove to be very hazardous to her standing at the table. Swiatek was knocked out in the fourth round of the US Open last year, so she’ll only have 240 points to defend. A fan said, “And Iga has less than 1300 points to defend at US Swing. Oh, she’s going to eat since there’s really nothing to lose.”

At the China Open, the Polish star will start as the defending champion with 1000 points, while Coco Gauff had only earned 390 points in that tournament last year. A little bit here and there would mean Gauff’s year-end number one dream could be well over even before the start of the WTA Finals later this year. Some of the fans opine, “Gauff shouldn’t even be number 2.” Coco Gauff has a win-loss record of 35-11 this season. She has performed really well in some of the tournaments but has failed to perform when it mattered the most. As a result, she lost quite a few chances of grabbing the titles.

During the French Open this year, Gauff could’ve had 8508 points if she had defeated Iga Swiatek in the semis and lost in the finals. She could’ve climbed as high as 9208 if she managed to win the French Open, but she failed to take her chances. Recalling the same, another fan wrote, “Not to mention Coco was technically one point away from world #1 (if Iga had lost to Naomi and assuming Coco wins RG), crazy how one match (or one point) changes everything.”

This gap is surely a big one to recover, but with a consistent performance and a bit of luck, Gauff might well come up with a surprise after a few months. Who knows? Seeing this 3112 margin, another fan hilariously tweeted, “She’s (Iga Swiatek) social distancing like it was 2020.” Do you think Coco Gauff can overtake Iga Swiatek this season? Share your views in the comment box.