Olivia Gadecki may have fallen just short of becoming a WTA champion in Guadalajara but her performances throughout the week proved that Ashleigh Barty had her reasons why she backed the 22-year-old to make some noise on the WTA Tour.
This past week in Mexico, Australia's Gadecki clinched a total of six wins to make the final as a qualifier before Magdalena Frech handed her a 7-6 (5) 6-4 defeat. En route to the title match, the Australian caused several upsets as she beat 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, world No. 7 Danielle Collins, as well as 2022 French Open semifinalist Martina Trevisan.
Now if you remember well, the new world No. 88 is the same player who was mentored and coached by Barty during the 2023 Australian Open.
Liv brings genuine life into Australian tennis. She is the one who injected oxygen back into my pre-seasons and my career and I know she has had a unique journey herself. Now I can see it in her eyes that she has got the hunger and the desire and it is about her now putting her head down and finding the ways to enjoy it and keep it alive and keep it fun," the former world No. 1 said at Melbourne Park in 2023 January.
At the time, Gadecki also shared that she had been mentored by Barty for quite some time and that they used to often practice together when they had a chance. Also, the 22-year-old praised the 2022 Australian Open champion by saying that the former world No. 1 never made her feel like she was different from her.
Ive been really fortunate to always be able to contact her if I have any questions or if I need advice, she has always been there for me. The best part is she just treats me like a normal person, and we can relate in that regard and off court is just as important as on court," the 2024 Guadalajara runner-up said of the Australian tennis legend.
Gadecki is now in the same position as Barty was
Last Monday, the Australian tennis player was ranked at No. 152 in the world. But after making a very deep run in Guadalajara, she improved 66 spots on this week's updated WTA rankings list. Now, the 22-year-old is a top-100 player for the first time in her career but also the top-ranked Australian female tennis player.
For years, Barty was Australia's No. 1 and the face of their women's tennis. While Gadecki hasn't yet accomplished anything major, making her maiden WTA final and being the only top-100 WTA player from her country is a positive sign that she may be the next big thing from her country.
Now, the 2024 Guadalajara finalist will certainly be hoping that she can make some other notable results in the remainder of the year and potentially win her first title and crack into the top-50.
What Gadecki said after losing the Guadalajara final?
After sending home a couple of notable names, there was no doubt that the Australian felt confident in her chances against 32nd-ranked Frech. But although it was a tight match and the 22-year-old hit 29 winners compared to Frech's 11, she also had 34 unforced errors while the Pole made just 19. Ultimately, small details decided the winner.
Magda played amazing, I thought she played solid and I came out playing pretty well, but didnt feel I was striking the ball as well as these last couple of days, so I thought I had to problem-solve a little more today. I unfortunately didn't do a very good job [of that], but she's got a lot of experience, and I think that's what got her across the line today. There are a lot [of positives], and I'm trying not to be too down about the loss, but I think that just comes with the job. There's always going to be a loser, and there's only one winner at the end of the week, but I'm very proud of myself and proud I've come this far," Gadecki said.
Meanwhile, the 26-year-old Pole now has two titles - she previously became a WTA champion in 2021.
"Australian Open fourth round, the final in Prague, and the title here, it's the most amazing year of my career for sure. I'm super proud about my achievements this year, it's really amazing. Hard work from the previous years is paying off right now, and I'm so glad about this. I will try to keep this momentum going," Frech said.
It will be interesting to see how Gadecki does in her next tournaments after her career-best result in Mexico.
