Coco Gauff upsets No. 1 ranked Iga Swiatek in semifinals at the WTA/ATP Cincinnati Open
It took eight tries, but American Coco Gauff finally prevailed over Iga Swiatek. Gauff defeated Swiatek, the No. 1 ranked women's player, in the semifinals at the WTA/ATP Cincinnati Open on Saturday.
Gauff, 19, needed all three sets to defeat Swiatek 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4. The two battled in the first set, taking it to a tiebreak. Gauff eventually prevailed in the tie break 7-2. It was the first time in her career Gauff took a set off Swiatek.
Coco Gauff just won a set against Iga Swiatek for the first time in her career.
She had lost 14 sets in a row, but finally gets one under her belt.
The reaction. pic.twitter.com/AYfda0twHT— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 19, 2023
Before the momentum could fully shift toward Gauff, Swiatek battled back. She took the second set 6-3, forcing a third and final set.
After another close back-and-forth, Gauff finally ended her losing streak against Swiatek, taking the final set 6-4.
COCO GAUFF DEFEATS NO. 1 IGA SWIATEK 🔥
She is through her FIRST-EVER WTA 1000 final 🙌
(via @WTA)
pic.twitter.com/Gz9yQ86Cc8— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) August 19, 2023
When asked about her previous struggles against Swiatek, Gauff quoted Cardi B.
Coco Gauff shouts out Cardi B after beating Iga Swiatek:
“I saw a quote. ‘Knock me down 9 times, get up 10.’ It’s a Cardi B song. So in this case, knock me down 7 times, get up 8.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/yT5us7uhav— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 19, 2023
Gauff entered the tournament as the No. 7 ranked women's player in the world. She could move up in the rankings following Saturday's win. Swiatek, meanwhile, is in the midst of another excellent year. She won the Qatar Open in February, Stuttgart Open in April, French Open in May and Poland Open in July. Despite the loss, Swiatek is unlikely to lose her No. 1 ranking. She'll look to get back on track in the US Open, which is set to begin Aug. 28.
With the win Saturday, Gauff advances to the finals at the Cincinnati Open. She'll take on Karolina Muchova in the final Sunday after Muchova defeated No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the semis.