In an interesting development, No. 7 Coco Gauff reached her first WTA 1000 final after defeating No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the Western & Southern Open semifinals on Saturday, August 19. 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, Gauff got his first win over Swiatek after losing to her in seven previous clashes.
Gauff entered the match determined to turn the tide. Since their last encounter at Roland Garros, Gauff has solidified his play, especially with his serve and forehand, as well as fiercely coordinating with Swiatek from the start.
A tense first set saw Swiatek capitalize on a weak game of Gauff's serve to finish the set 5-3. Gauff hit back, broke Swiatek's serve, and took a 4-0 lead after Swiatek made three unwarranted fouls.
While Swiatek's powerful forehand has been decisive in previous encounters, her 20+ errors in the first set, compared to Gauff's 10, have reduced effectiveness significantly. Swiatek adjusted his strategy in the second set, aiming for fewer errors by hitting safer targets and controlling the court with his backhand.
The final set started with Swiatek keeping the momentum, but Gauff didn't falter. As Gauff was serving 3-2, 30 in all, she cleverly closed Swiatek's chance with a decisive backhand and broke Swiatek's serve in the next game. Despite Swiatek's best efforts to pressure Gauff, the American teenager was adamant and held out with three unrecoverable serves.
The highlight came when Gauff served to win 5-4. Even after Swiatek saved two match points and earned a break point, it was Gauff who won, closing the match with her fourth match point. With the win, Gauff now heads to her first WTA 1000 final, where she will face No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka or French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova.
