Gauff thrashes Swiatek to reach Madrid Open final

Iga Swiatek, who has previously triumphed at the French Open, defeated Coco Gauff 6-1 6-1 to reach the final of the Madrid Open.

Gauff, 21, was the only one to defeat the world number two in just 64 minutes on clay despite having never previously defeated her Polish foe.

In the final, American Gauff will face Elina Svitolina or Aryna Sabalenka, both of whom are world champions.

Gauff had no choice but to challenge reigning champion Swiatek after winning nine straight matches in Madrid, with 15 of her 16 coming back from a loss to Sabalenka in the 2023 final.

Gauff, who won the US Open in 2023, put together a strong performance that included seven ace scores and 19 of her 21 points.

I played with margin and was aggressive. In her on-court interview, Gauff speculated that it wasn’t at her best.

The American, who defeated Dayana Yastremska in three sets in her opening match last week, continued, “I felt great out here on the court today, much different from my first match here in the first round.”

“I don’t believe I have won against her yet because of the previous times we played on clay.”