Coco Gauff has clear plan to avenge Iga Swiatek’s French Open final pain

Coco Gauff is gearing up for a rematch against world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals at Roland Garros, hoping to make amends for her French Open final defeat two years ago.

The American starlet secured her spot in the semi-finals after defeating Ons Jabeur and is now on the hunt for her second major title.

The 20 year old from Atlanta, Georgia, is well aware of the challenge ahead, having lost to Swiatek in ten out of their 11 previous encounters. However, Gauff can take confidence from her Grand Slam victory at the US Open in 2023 and is planning to block out all the noise ahead of their blockbuster Court Philippe Chatrier clash.

Swiatek, on the other hand, is aiming for her third consecutive win at Roland Garros and will be feeling confident about facing Gauff, having defeated her as recently as last month in Rome. The only time Gauff has managed to best Swiatek was back in August of last year, when she clinched a 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4 win in Cincinnati.

Gauff, who was denied her first-ever major by Swiatek in the 2022 French Open final, has an added incentive to win this time around. Her loss in that final saw the Polish ace secure a straight sets victory of 6-1 6-3 to claim the title.

Gauff has her eyes firmly set on victory, dispelling any intimidation as she gears up for a formidable challenge at the tournament. She confidently remarked: “I’m just going in with confidence.”

She reflected on her previous encounter with Swiatek, adding: “When I played her in Cincinnati, I didn’t go into the match thinking: ‘Oh, I’ve never beaten her before, never taken a set off of her.’ So I can’t think of past players.

“(Anastasia) Potapova isn’t me. I’m not (Marketa) Vondrousova. It doesn’t mean anything. Maybe I could lose with the same score, maybe not, but I’m just going to go in and try to win. I have nothing to lose. All the pressure is on her, so yeah.”

Meanwhile, Swiatek, who boasts four Grand Slam titles, recognises the threat posed by an ever-improving Gauff as they head into their semi-final showdown. She conceded: “I think her mental game is a little bit better. Before it was, you know, kind of easier to ‘crack her’, I would say, when you were leading.”

Swiatek also noted the natural progression of her young rival, observing: “But, I mean, it’s normal that she’s making progress. She’s at that age that everything goes pretty nicely, that if you’re working hard then you will get progress. She’s probably doing that, and probably every aspect of her game is a little bit better, because it’s different being a teenager on the tour and then being a more mature player.”

Swiatek is determined to treat the upcoming game like any other. “It’s good to keep going and not think of this match as something huge,” she continued.” Against Coco it isn’t easy. She really likes clay, especially here. I’ll just focus on myself and I’ll prepare tactically and we’ll see.”

Gauff herself has acknowledged the challenge, stating: “I can’t tell you. She is a tough opponent to play, especially on clay. There’s a reason why she’s number one. But I feel like I’m getting better with each match. I’m really excited to play the sem-ifinal.”