No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland bested Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-3 on Saturday at the China Open, breaking the American’s 16-match win streak that included the U.S. Open championship.
Gauff, the No. 3 seed, hadn’t lost since before her win at Cincinnati in August.
For Swiatek, who made an earlier than expected exit in New York in the Round of 16, the win in Beijing moves her into her third WTA final, and seventh overall final, of the year. She will meet No. 22 Liudmila Samsonova of Russia in the final on Sunday.
“I’m really happy with my performance,” Swiatek said in her on-court interview after the Gauff match. “It feels like I can play freely again, so I’m really happy. It’s been a while since I felt that way. So I’ll remember for the rest of my career that even though tougher times may come, in your mind, you can always overcome that. And with hard work, you can achieve it.
“I’m happy that I switched my attitude after U.S. Open, and hopefully I’ll be able to keep it for as long as possible.”
Swiatek’s victory was her eighth over Gauff in nine career meetings. Gauff’s sole triumph came in the semifinals in Cincinnati during her win streak.
Swiatek was dominant on her serve, losing just eight points, and she didn’t face a break point. She tallied 17 winners and six unforced errors, compared to 12 and 15, respectively, for Gauff.
On the season, Swiatek has won four titles but none at the WTA 1000 level.
To reach the second WTA 1000 final of the season, Samsonova defeated Wimbledon champion and No. 5 seed Elena Rybakina 7-6 (7), 6-3.
Samsonova is now 4-0 against Kazakhstan’s Rybakina.
The Russian hit 33 winners, while Rybakina struck only seven in the one hour, 40-minute match.
–Field Level Media
