When Coco Gauff took the court against Iga Swiatek in the Mutua Madrid Open semifinal, few could have predicted what was to follow. In just over an hour, the 21-year-old American tore through the five-time Grand Slam champion with a stunning 6-1, 6-1 victory — one of the most one-sided defeats of Swiatek’s clay-court career.
Gauff didn’t just beat Swiatek; she outclassed her in every department. From the outset, the American applied relentless pressure, exposing Swiatek’s serving woes and dictating play with ruthless efficiency. Swiatek, usually so composed on clay, looked completely rattled — managing just one ace, committing three double faults, and winning a mere 41% of her first-serve points. Her second serve wasn’t spared either, yielding just 40%.
It was Swiatek’s heaviest defeat since her 2019 loss to Jelena Ostapenko in Birmingham. More worryingly, it continues a trend: since her fourth Roland-Garros title last year, she’s now lost six consecutive semifinals.
For Gauff, this was more than a win. It was a statement. She has reached the Madrid final for the first time, and as she awaits the winner of Elina Svitolina vs Aryna Sabalenka, it’s clear the American has found peak form at just the right time. If she wasn’t already on the shortlist for Roland-Garros contenders, she certainly is now.
As for Swiatek, all eyes turn to Rome — a city where she’s reigned before, and must now rally again.