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Coco Gauff was defeated in the semifinals of the China Open.
CNN
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Coco Gauff lost to world No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals of the China Open on Saturday, ending her 16-game winning streak.
World No. 3 Gauff is enjoying the best period of her career this summer, becoming a Grand Slam champion for the first time at the U.S. Open and beginning her first major win since Serena Williams in 1999, according to the WTA. The longest winning streak for an American teenager since.
But it all ended when Swiatek defeated the American player 6-2 6-3 in Beijing.
“I’m really proud of myself,” Gauff said after the match, according to the China Open. “Hopefully I can continue to maintain this consistency next year, maybe not 16 consecutive wins, but as long as I can get some wins and win 1,000 A championship and hopefully a Grand Slam would be a great goal for me.”
Gauff and Świątek are used to play against each other. They have met more often than any other opponent, and the games almost always end in Świątek’s favour. The Pole has now beaten Goff eight times and lost only eleven times.
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Swiatek won the French Open earlier this year.
Swiatek dominated the first set, making only four unforced errors and conceding zero break points, eventually leading 6-2.
She then broke Gauff in the first game of the second set, and the game was suspended when she led 2-1. Gauff called a medical timeout due to a right shoulder injury.
According to Reuters, Gauff continued to play, but she could not stem the tide and suffered her first defeat since August, ending the longest winning streak on this year’s WTA Tour.
“It feels like I can play freely again, so I’m really happy,” Swiatek said after relinquishing her world No. 1 status and crashing out in the first round of the U.S. Open, per the WTA. 16.
“I haven’t felt that way for a while. So for the rest of my career I will remember that even though hard times may come, in your mind you can always overcome it.
Just work hard and you can achieve this goal. ”
Swiatek will face world No. 22 Lyudmila Samsonova at the China Open on Sunday.