World No. 1 Iga Swiatek maintains a dominant 10-1 record against Coco Gauff, but she acknowledges the American's evolution since bursting onto the scene as a teenager. Ahead of their French Open semifinal clash on Thursday, Swiatek anticipates a tough challenge from Gauff.
Gauff's solitary victory over Swiatek occurred on a hardcourt at Cincinnati last year, where she triumphed in a three-set thriller en route to claiming her first WTA 1000 title. This victory also set the stage for her maiden Grand Slam win at the U.S. Open.
Despite Gauff's recent successes, Swiatek has emerged victorious in their last three encounters, all in straight sets. The Polish star, however, respects Gauff's ability and is wary of her opponent, particularly after ending the 20-year-old's hopes at Roland Garros in the 2022 final and quarterfinal s last year.
"I think her mental game is a little bit better. Before, it was kind of easier to 'crack her' when you were leading," Swiatek said of Gauff.
"But 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 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."
Ever since Swiatek survived a scare against Naomi Osaka in the second round, the Pole has brushed aside opponents with ease, serving up a double bagel win over Anastasia Potapova and thrashing Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova.
Swiatek's last win over Gauff came on clay in the semifinal s of the Italian Open last month and the American said she has to "find a better way" to play the world No. 1 who has won her last 17 matches.
"I've obviously been unsuccessful the last couple of times we've played, regardless of the surface and anything. She's definitely a tough opponent for me and for anybody," Gauff said.
"I just have to go back and watch, try to find what I have to do. I think she's playing great tennis here, so it's going to be a challenge, but I'm going to go into the match with a lot of belief that I can.
"I'm going to try to get a plan from my team and then also my own plan and see where we can find a blend."
With Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka both suffering upsets in the quarterfinal s, the other last-four clash features Italy's 12th seed Jasmine Paolini playing Russia's unseeded teenager Mirra Andreeva.
A semifinal at a major is uncharted territory for both players and a remarkable achievement for Andreeva, who is the youngest Grand Slam semifinal ist in nearly three decades after former world No. 1 Martina Hingis.
The pair met in Madrid where Andreeva came out on top in the last-16 – the only meeting between the two players.
"It was really tough mentally and game-wise. She plays really fast and moves really fast. She goes for it, it doesn't matter what the situation or score is," Andreeva said.
"It'll be a bit like today. I'll try to play the same level and with the same cool head. We'll see what will happen."