Coco Gauff handed Iga Swiatek one of the most one-sided defeats of the Pole’s career as the American stormed into her first-ever Madrid Open final.
In an astonishing contest inside the Caja Magica, Gauff just dropped just two points behind her first serve and broke an erratic Swiatek five times on her way to a 6-1, 6-1 triumph, needing just 64 minutes to seal victory.
Swiatek once had a commanding 11-1 lead in the head-to-head between the two women, though Gauff now appears to be turning the tables with three straight wins, all in straight sets.
Gauff beat Swiatek in the round-robin stage of the 2024 WTA Finals and the final of the United Cup back in January, before Thursday’s lopsided affair in the Spanish capital.
“I think I was aggressive and played with margin,” said Gauff in her post-match interview.
“Maybe it wasn’t her [Swiatek’s] best level today, but I kind of forced her into some awkward positions. I’m really happy with how I played.
“Especially when you’re playing someone like Iga, you know at any moment she could come back and play great tennis. For me, it was just making sure my level stayed the same.
“I knew in that second set I had to raise it [my level], especially because she could come back, so I’m really happy with how I played.”
It was a clinical display from Gauff, who is now into her third WTA 1000 final.
Madrid Open News
Casper Ruud matches stunning Rafael Nadal feat with Madrid Open quarter-final triumph
Lorenzo Musetti achieves major rankings breakthrough with Madrid Open run
The American previously reached the final of the 2023 Cincinnati Open and 2024 China Open, winning the title on both occasions.
Gauff, aged 21 years and 39 days, is now the third-youngest player to reach WTA 1000 finals on clay and hard courts since the format was revamped in 2009, behind Caroline Wozniacki and Swiatek.
The world No 4 has also now handed Swiatek one of her worst-ever WTA Tour losses, and her second-worst loss on clay in terms of games lost.
Swiatek’s worst ever defeat on the dirt came when she was an 18-year-old back at the 2019 French Open, falling 6-1, 6-0 to former world No 1 Simona Halep in the fourth round.
Gauff is now just the second player to drop fewer than five games on the clay against the Pole, who has dominated on the clay in recent years.
However, the world No 2 has now failed to reach a final since lifting the 2024 French Open final, and has lost her last six semi-finals on WTA Tour-level.
Swiatek, who was the defending champion in Madrid, will now have to complete a significant reset ahead of the Italian Open in Rome, where she is also defending her title.
Meanwhile, Gauff will await to see whether she faces world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka or Elina Svitolina in Saturday’s final.
If the 21-year-old lifts the title, she will move above Swiatek and return to her career-high of world No 2 in the WTA Rankings.
The post Coco Gauff hits stunning milestones as she thrashes Iga Swiatek in Madrid Open shocker appeared first on Tennis365.
Leave a Reply