Iga Swiatek, the No. 1 ranked player in the world, showcased her dominance in Paris on Thursday by defeating Coco Gauff with a score of 6-2, 6-4 in the French Open. Swiatek extended her winning streak to 20 matches and now holds an 11-1 record against Gauff. Gauff, who will become the No. 2 ranked player in the WTA rankings after the French Open, still has some work to do as she heads back to the drawing board against Swiatek.
Swiatek’s impressive performance was attributed to her ability to consistently get her first serve in (68% success rate) and minimize unforced errors (12 compared to Gauff’s 36). She is now set to face Jasmine Paolini in the final, who defeated Mirra Andreeva in straight sets. Paolini’s advancement to the final marks the first time an Italian woman has reached a Grand Slam final in almost nine years.
With just one set dropped on her way to the final, Swiatek is aiming to become the third woman in the Open Era to win the French Open three consecutive years, following Monica Seles and Justine Henin. A victory in the final would also place her in elite company alongside Henin, Steffi Graf, and Chris Evert as the only women to win the singles title at Roland Garros four times. At 23 years old, she would be the youngest to achieve this milestone.
Despite the loss, Gauff remains a formidable opponent and is still in contention for her first Grand Slam doubles title at Roland Garros. As the live coverage of the match concludes, the anticipation for the final showdown between Swiatek and Paolini continues to build, promising an exciting conclusion to the French Open.