Iga Swiatek Reaches 4th Roland Garros Final with Victory over Coco Gauff in Paris

Iga Swiatek defeated Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday to advance to her fourth Roland Garros final and move one win away from a third consecutive title in Paris.

The top-ranked player in the world has been virtually unbeatable on clay in 2024, taking home back-to-back WTA 1000 titles at the Mutua Madrid Open and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. She also defeated Gauff in one hour and 37 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier by winning eighteen straight games. Either the No. 12 seed Jasmine Paolini or the unseeded 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva will be waiting for her in the championship match.

Despite having only won one of her previous 11 matches against Swiatek, Gauff has significantly improved her game since hiring coach Brad Gilbert. This decision helped the American win her first major title at the US Open following an incredible summer swing. Nevertheless, Gauff faced an undoubtedly difficult task ahead of her second Roland Garros semifinal. That one victory was at the Cincinnati Open last summer on a fast hard court. In her past two trips to Paris, the 20-year-old has only lost to Swiatek; in 2022, she made it to her first major final.

In the face of Swiatek’s push into the second week, the task only increased. The 23-year-old has improved with every victory since holding off on a match point against former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka in the second round. She has won three straight 6-0 sets against Marketa Vondrousova and Anastasia Potapova, dropping a total of two games in her previous two victories.

Also Read: Mirra Andreeva Shocks Aryna Sabalenka to Reach First Grand Slam Semifinal at Roland Garros 2024

With Aryna Sabalenka’s quarterfinal exit on Wednesday, Swiatek will undoubtedly move up to a career-high position of world No. 2, having begun the match similarly dominantly against Gauff. In less than half an hour, the Pole jumped out to a 5-1 lead and went on to win the set in two games.

Gauff advanced to her third consecutive Grand Slam semifinal with just one set lost during an otherwise effective run. However, early in the second set, umpire Aurelie Tourte’s decision that an overruled call did not require a review infuriated Gauff.

Swiatek gained control of the match after she managed to put her emotions into her opening break, winning four games in a row while Gauff’s high-risk approach resulted in more errors than winners.

With Swiatek complaining to Tourte about supporters waving flags in the stands, Gauff saved a match point with a well-placed forehand while serving to keep the match alive. With the help of a backhand winner, she managed to save a second match point and forced Swiatek to serve to secure her place in the championship match.

Under duress, Swiatek bravely stepped up to take two more match points on the serve. Swiatek advanced to her sixth major final of the career after Gauff overcooked a forehand on the second shot, saving the first.

Swiatek, the two-time defending champion, has won 20 straight games in Paris and is a clear favorite against Paolini or Andreeva, who are both competing in their first Grand Slam final, on Saturday.