Chapter 15 of the Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek rivalry took place on Thursday and it was a significant one.
In just one hour and four minutes Gauff emerged victorious courtesy of an emphatic 6-1, 6-1 win to reach the Madrid Open final.
Gauff has now won her last three meetings against the Pole on three different surfaces, indoor hard courts, outdoor hard courts, and now clay.
After losing 11 of her first 12 matches against Iga Swiatek, Gauff seems to have found a winning formula, which Andy Roddick discussed on his podcast.
What does Andy Roddick think has changed in the Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek rivalry?
Coco Gauff has been dominated for most of her rivalry with Swiatek, and of the 11 defeats to the former World number one, Gauff failed to claim a set.
But the last three meetings the tables have turned, and it is Gauff has won each of those matches without dropping a set.
On the latest episode of his ‘Served’ podcast, Andy Roddick has credited an improvement in Gauff’s serve and forehand when playing Swiatek that has resulted in her recent success against her rival.
“A lot of this is about Coco’s serve and Coco’s forehand and where she is playing. She is playing ahead in the rally point,” Roddick said.
“I do think something that has changed, even if she has been a little inconsistent this year, specifically, is that she is now beating Swiatek on a pretty consistent basis whereas that was a desert of results for a while, and she doesn’t dislike this match up against Sabalenka.
“She likes it as much as you can, like going against someone who is so dominant. So from a confidence perspective she is then doing better in these match ups.
“I don’t put too much stock in the before and after in Madrid. Her game should translate to this surface.
“She has to play that backhand to Sabalenka’s forehand. She can’t go toe to toe and hit two or three balls to the same spot, that is when Sabalenka gains on you.”
How many times has Coco Gauff beaten Iga Swiatek?
Swiatek and Gauff have played 15 times, and despite her recent success it does not make for good reading for the 2023 US Open champion.
The Pole won her first seven matches against Gauff, which included the 2022 French Open final, and she did so without dropping a set.
Gauff finally claimed her first victory against Swiatek at the 2023 Cincinnati Masters, and she went on to win the tournament before claiming the US Open title weeks later.
Swiatek then won the next four matchups, before Gauff claimed victory over her rival at the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Gauff then defeated Swiatek at the Untied Cup before thrashing her in Madrid. She will aim to make it four in a row should the pair play again for the rest of the season.
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