Coco Gauff beats World No. 1 Iga Swiatek to secure one of the biggest wins of her career… by securing a spot in the Western & Southern Open finals, continuing her perfect preparation for the US Open
Coco Gauff defeated world number one tennis player Iga Swiatek to secure her place in the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open and continue her perfect preparation for this month’s US Open.
The 19-year-old American made it to the flagship tournament on Sunday with a 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4 win in Mason, Ohio, securing what is probably the biggest win of her career – and a promise at that a crucial point in time.
The victory means Gauff has qualified for her first WTA 1000 final and defeated Swiatek for the first time in eight meetings – she won in two hours and 50 minutes.
Seventh seeded Gauff will face either number 2 Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus or unseeded Karolina Muchova from the Czech Republic in Sunday’s final.
Gauff had never won a set against Swiatek in their seven previous encounters, including a 6-4, 6-2 defeat in the final game of the French Open quarterfinals.
Gauff overcame a 5-3 deficit in the first set to take a 4-0 lead thanks to three unforced errors from Swiatek in the tiebreak.
Swiatek saved three match points in the final game before Gauff secured the win.
Gauff is targeting her fifth and second career WTA singles title this month after her previous win in Washington, DC