Coco Gauff beats world No 1 Iga Swiatek to seal one of the biggest wins of her career… as she books spot in Western & Southern Open final to continue perfect US Open preparation
- Coco Gauff, still only 19, downed the world No 1 Iga Swiatek on Saturday
- She will play either Aryna Sabalenka or Karolina Muchova in Sunday’s final
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Coco Gauff dismantled the world’s best female tennis player Iga Swiatek to book her spot in the Western & Southern Open semi-final and continue her perfect preparation ahead of this month’s US Open.
The American, 19, advanced to Sunday’s showpiece with a 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4 victory in Mason, Ohio, to seal arguably the biggest win of her career – and at a vital time.
The win means that Gauff has qualified for her first WTA 1000 final, and defeated Swiatek for the first time in eight meetings – winning in two hours and 50 minutes.
The seventh-seeded Gauff will face either No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus or unseeded Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic in Sunday’s final.
Gauff had never previously won a set against Swiatek in their seven previous encounters, including a 6-4, 6-2 loss in their last match at the French Open quarterfinals.
Coco Gauff celebrates wildly after beating the world No 1 Iga Swiatek in the semi-final
Gauff serves against Swiatek at the Western & Southern tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio
Swiatek didn’t look her usual imperious self as she was dumped out by Gauff on Saturday
The pair shake hands at the net after Gauff booked her place in Sunday’s showpiece
Gauff overcame a 5-3 deficit in the opening set and raced to a 4-0 lead in the tiebreak thanks to three unforced errors by Swiatek.
Swiatek fought off three match points in the final game before Gauff closed out the victory.
Gauff is going for her fifth career WTA singles title and second this month, after her previous victory in Washington, D.C.