Coco Gauff hands Iga Świątek one of her toughest losses at the Madrid Open final
Coco Gauff easily defeated Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 in just 64 minutes to reach the Madrid Open final. This has been one of Świątek's greatest losses in her career so far.
The win was a first for Gauff on clay, and she will now battle against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the finals. If Gauff wins, she will move up to world No. 2 in the rankings.
In a social media post made by WTA, it shared: '👏 MADRID 👏 FINALIST 👏'
Netizens flooded the comments section with praise for Coco Gauff's commanding performance. Many called it one of the best matches of her career, especially given the tough road she faced through Andreeva, Bencic, and Świątek. Fans admired her focus, power, and growth. One wrote, 'Phenomenal Coco 😍 She had the toughest draw… but she's played her absolute best tennis of her career… Bravo 👏🏾'. Others chimed in with reactions like 'What a match 🔥' and 'So proud of Coco!!!!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥'. Highlights of the match Świątek won the first game but then lost 11 in a row, making this experience one of the toughest matches of her sporting journey.
Moreover, Gauff was determined and strong, losing only two points on her first serve and never facing a breakpoint. According to WTA, the only time Świątek has won fewer games in a clay court match was when she lost 6–1, 6–0 to Simona Halep in 2019.
Gauff admitted in her post-match interview, 'I think I was aggressive and played with margin… Maybe, it wasn't (Świątek's) best level today, but I forced her into some awkward positions. I'm really happy with how I played.'
She added, '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 (my level), especially because she could come back, so I'm really happy with how I played.'
Świątek dominated Gauff before and won 11 of their 12 matches. Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, has now beaten her three times in a row. Furthermore, Świątek has now lost six straight semifinals and has not made it to the finals since winning the 2024 French Open.
Swiatek said: 'Today, for sure, everything kind of collapsed, both tennis-wise and I feel like I wasn't even in the right place with my feet before the shots… I wish I would have moved better because I think that would get me any opportunity to bounce back because this is usually what happens.'
Gauff is chasing her third WTA 1000 title and has been right on track so far. She won her first two at the 2023 Cincinnati Open and the 2024 China Open, and now looks to add another in Madrid.
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