Iga Swiatek delighted with her commanding win over Coco Gauff as she snaps the teen’s 16-match winning streak to reach the finals of the China Open

Iga Swiatek registered her eighth win over Coco Gauff.

Iga Swiatek delighted with her commanding win over Coco Gauff as she snaps the teen’s 16-match winning streak to reach the finals of the China Open

Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek (Images via China Open X)

Former World No.1 Iga Swiatek is back to being best as the Polish ace defeated reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff in straight sets in the 2023 China Open semifinals. With this win, Swiatek snapped Gauff’s 16-match winning streak, and the Pole was as delighted as ever. Swiatek beat the American 6-2, 6-3 to reach her third WTA 1000 final in 2023 and her seventh final this year.

The 22-year-old never allowed Gauff to dominate her and won the match in an hour and 19 minutes. Swiatek was overwhelmed with her win, as she claimed that she could play freely now. It is worth mentioning that Swiatek bowed out of the 2023 US Open, where she was the defending champion after losing to Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round. 

The Pole did not take part in a couple of tournaments post her US Open exit. However, she returned on the tour with the Japan Open but could only make it to the quarterfinals. Swiatek lost to Veronika Kudermetova. But that did not derail Swiatek’s momentum as she won her first three matches emphatically at the China Open. And now, she beat Gauff in quest to win her first WTA 1000 title this year. 

“I’m really happy with my performance,” Swiatek said on the court. “It feels like I can play freely again, so I’m really happy. It’s been a while since I felt that way. So I’ll remember for the rest of my career that even though tougher times may come, in your mind, you can always overcome that. And with hard work, you can achieve it,” said Swiatek after the win. 

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Iga Swiatek not worried about her opponent at the China Open final

Iga Swiatek, who is eyeing her first WTA 1000 title this year, further talked about her chances in the final. The Polish ace who will face either Elena Rybakina or Liudmila Samsonova on Sunday in the final is not worried about her opponent and is focused on herself instead. Swiatek also said that she has the belief that the result will be in her favor if she continues to play the same way.

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Iga Swiatek (Image via China Open X)

“I have to wait for the other finalists. But overall I’ll be kind of focused on myself. I’m pretty sure if I continue playing like that, the result is gonna be good… for me, it doesn’t matter who I’m gonna play. I’ve been enjoying myself on the court. I just want to do that for 1 more match & get the work done,” she said.

Notably, Iga Swiatek has an inferior head-to-head record against Rybakina while she has enjoyed an upper hand over Samsonova. While the Kazakh ace has defeated Swiatek on three out of four occasions, Swiatek has a 2-0 head-to-head record against Samsonova. So, it will be interesting to see if Swiatek turns it around against Rybakina or if luck will favor her and pit her against Samsonova.

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