Coco Gauff reveals key to her statement win over Iga Swiatek in Madrid Open semifinal

Coco Gauff beat Iga Swiatek for the third consecutive time, reaching the Madrid Open final for the first time.

Coco Gauff reveals key to her statement win over Iga Swiatek in Madrid Open semifinal

Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff (Image via X/MMopen, Coco Gauff Fans)

The Madrid Open did not end the way the Polish ace, Iga Swiatek, wanted. She arrived in the Spanish capital in the hope of defending her title as well as ending her trophy drought.

But like her previous tournaments, the Madrid Open too won’t end in her favor. Swiatek was the clear favorite when she entered the semifinal against Coco Gauff, given that the latter was never successful in their five encounters on clay.

However, it took the American an hour and four minutes to dismantle Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 and progress to her first Madrid Open final. Following the match, Gauff revealed her game plan behind her statement win.

Obviously, she has a lot of talent and can make you run and move around the court. Today I tried to prevent that, which is what I have done or tried to do every time I have played against her. Obviously, I have improved a lot since the first two times we played, and the results show it.

Coco Gauff said at the press conference

With this win, Gauff registered her fourth victory over the Pole in their 15th encounter. It was also her third consecutive win against the five-time Grand Slam champion as prior to Madrid, Gauff, the eventual winner, defeated her in the round robin stage of the 2024 WTA Finals and in the summit clash of this year’s United Cup final.

Coco Gauff reveals which victory against Iga Swiatek was special

Apart from the aforementioned victories, Coco Gauff has also beat Iga Swiatek in the semifinal of the 2023 Cincinnati Open en route to the title. It was the 2023 US Open champion’s first triumph over Swiatek after seven consecutive defeats. For Gauff, these two were the special victories.

Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek
Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

I think my greatest joy was probably the first time in Cincinnati or the United Cup. I’d say the United Cup because it was the final and I really wanted to do it for my team.

Coco Gauff said at the press conference

Last year, Swiatek lifted her first Madrid Open title by beating World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final, which later won the 2022 WTA Match of the Year. Swiatek was on the verge of defeat but she held her nerves and saved three championship points to deny the Belarusian her third title in the first clay-court WTA 1000 event of the season.

Swiatek later went on to beat Sabalenka to win the Italian Open and her fourth (also her third consecutive) Roland Garros title with a straight-set win over Jasmine Paolini. Since that victory, Swiatek has continuously failed to reach a final.

Coco Gauff will meet Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final

After a dominating semifinal outing, Gauff will be up against a player who has reached six finals this year. Aryna Sabalenka booked her spot in the Madrid Open final after her 6-3, 7-5 victory over Elina Svitolina.

Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff
Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff (Images via X/The Tennis Letter)

Prior to Madrid, the 26-year-old progressed to the finals of the Brisbane International, the Australian Open, Indian Wells, the Miami Open, and the Stuttgart Open. Gauff, on the other hand, secured a spot in the final for the first time this season.

The 2022 French Open finalist entered the Madrid Open following her early exits in five tournaments she played since her defeat to Paula Badosa in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Gauff has locked horns with Sabalenka nine times and edges her 5-4 in the head-to-head matchups.

She took the lead over the three-time Grand Slam singles champion after winning the semifinal of the 2024 WTA Finals. While Gauff will be playing the Madrid Open final for the first time, for Sabalenka, it will be her fourth final following the 2021, 2023, and 2024 seasons.

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