Italian Open: Swiatek moves into final with 10th win over Gauff

Iga Swiatek won against Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday and will face the winner of the match between American Danielle Collins, the No 13 seed, and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed, in the final

Iga Swiatek in Rome (Inside/Panoramic)

Tennis Majors

May 16, 2024

Pole Iga Swiatek, the top seed, advanced to the final of the Italian Open by defeating American Coco Gauff, the No 3 seed, 6-4, 6-3 at the Foro Italico in Rome on Thursday.

It was Swiatek’s 10th win in 11 meetings with Gauff, stretching back three years to this same event in 2021 – but certainly the American tried to mix it up a bit more in the opening set, using her cross-court shot to good effect and breaking in the second game to take a 2-0 lead.

The match lasted an hour and 48 minutes, demonstrating Gauff’s efforts to hang in there but ultimately it was a straight-sets triumph for the world No 1, and although the American did cut down her double faults that had strewn her game this tournament, they still crept in at crucial times.

Swiatek, ranked No 1, will face the winner of the match between American Danielle Collins, the No 13 seed, and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed, next.

Earlier in the tournament, the 22-year-old Pole won against American qualifier Bernarda Pera (6-0, 6-2), Kazakh Yulia Putintseva (6-3, 6-4), German Angelique Kerber (7-5, 6-3) and American Madison Keys, the No 18 seed (6-1, 6-3).

Gauff, ranked No 3, beat Pole Magdalena Frech (6-3, 6-3), Romanian lucky loser Jaqueline Cristian (6-1, 0-6, 6-3), Spaniard Paula Badosa (5-7, 6-4, 6-1) and Chinese Qinwen Zheng, the No 7 seed (7-6 (4), 6-1) in the previous rounds of the Rome tournament.