BEIJING – World No. 2 Iga Swiatek defeated World No. 3 Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals of the China Open, ending U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff’s run. 16 consecutive wins. The victory brings Swiatek to his third WTA 1000 final of the season and seventh this year.
Goff hasn’t lost a game since winning in Cincinnati in August. Her 16-game winning streak is the longest of her career and the longest by an American teenager since 1999 when Serena Williams also won 16 games.
“I’m very happy with my performance,” Swiatek said on court. “It feels like I can play with freedom again, so I’m really happy. I haven’t felt that way for a while. So I will remember for the rest of my career that even though tough times may come, In your mind, you can always overcome this difficulty, and with hard work, you can achieve it.
“I’m glad I changed my attitude after the U.S. Open and hopefully I can keep it that way for as long as possible.”
Swiatek, who is seeking her first WTA 1000 title of the season and a tour-leading fifth title this year, will face No. 5 Elena Rybakina in Sunday’s final Rybakina) or No. 22 Liudmila Samsonova.
China Open: Score | Schedule | Draw
Saturday’s semifinal is the ninth meeting between Swiatek and Gauff in their careers, the most times the two have faced each other. Goff notched his first victory in eight games against Swiatek during the winning streak. The win came in this summer’s semifinals in Cincinnati. Before that loss, Swiatek had won their first 14 sets.
Swiatek, Gauff qualify for WTA finals
How to win the game: Swiatek moved on after defeating Caroline Garcia in three sets in the quarterfinals. She faced no break point in the first set and dominated Gauff on both the service line and the baseline. Swiatek took the lead in breaking serve at 3-1 with a winning shot and easily won the first set after 40 minutes.
Swiatek made just four unforced errors in the first set, putting constant pressure on Gauff’s serve. The American’s second serve scoring rate was only 27%. In comparison, Swiatek only lost four points on his own serve.
Swiatek didn’t give up her momentum in the second set. She immediately broke serve, extending the lead to 2-0. After holding serve to tie the score at 2-1, Gauff called a medical timeout to have her right shoulder evaluated. After the game restarted, Swiatek continued to maintain the lead, extending the lead to 3-1. In the second set, she hit 95% of her first serves and ended the match in an orderly manner.
Final statistics: Swiatek finished the game with 17 winners and six unforced errors. She hit 75% of her serve throughout the match and did not face any break points. In fact, Swiatek only dropped eight points on serve in this match.
Goff finished the game with 12 game-winners and 15 unforced errors.
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