Coco Gauff delivers her instant reaction after handing Iga Swiatek her worst clay court defeat in six years

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Coco Gauff was looking to advance to her first tour-level final of the season in Madrid.

The American star began her week with an impressive comeback victory when Gauff beat Dayana Yastremska, 0-6, 6-2, 7-5.

Wins over Ann Li and Belinda Bencic followed, as the world number four set up an intriguing quarterfinal clash with Mirra Andreeva.

Gauff knocked out Andreeva in straight sets to advance to the last four where she took on five-time Major champion Iga Swiatek.

Winning her third straight match against the Pole, Gauff handed Swiatek a devastating defeat and shared her thoughts on the victory during her on-court interview.

Coco Gauff says Iga Swiatek ‘wasn’t at her best level’ during their Madrid Open semi-final match

Speaking after her dominant, 6-1, 6-1 win over Swiatek, Gauff explained how she approached the contest.

“The mentality that I had throughout the whole match, I think I was aggressive and played with margin,” she said.

“Maybe it wasn’t her best level today, but I kind of forced her into some awkward positions. I’m really happy with how I played today.”

Gauff was then asked just how important it was for her to maintain concentration throughout.

“Super important, especially when you’re playing someone like Iga [Swiatek], you know that at any moment she can come back and play great tennis,” she said.

“For me it was just trying to make sure my level stayed the same, actually trying to raise it, I knew in that second set I had to raise it, because she can come back.

“I’m really happy with how I played. I’m having a great time in Madrid and happy to be back on this court and through to my first final here.”

Swiatek dominated the early stages of her rivalry with Gauff, winning their first seven WTA Tour matches, but the tides seem to be turning, as the American has now won three straight, to reduce the head-to-head deficit to 4-11.

Only time will tell if Gauff can continue to close the gap but it certainly seems like she has all the momentum on her side.

Gauff will return to the court to take on either Aryna Sabalenka or Elina Svitolina in the Madrid Open final on Saturday, May 3.

Iga Swiatek suffers her worst clay court defeat in six years

There will be smiles aplenty in the Gauff camp tonight, but that likely won’t be the case for the Pole and her team after she suffered her worst defeat on a clay court since 2019.

On her first visit to the French Open six years ago, Swiatek won just the one game as she fell to defeat against Romania’s Simona Halep, 1-6, 0-6.

She got her revenge one year later, however, storming past Halep, 6-1, 6-2, on the way to her maiden French Open title.

Swiatek then began to dominate on the surface, picking up eight ‘big’ titles on clay.

Perhaps her comprehensive defeat at the hands of Gauff signalled an end to Swiatek’s reign of dominance on clay.

Winning just two games in a clay court semi-final would’ve been unheard of for the world number two in years gone by, as she became used to handing out bagels and breadsticks [6-0 and 6-1 sets] of her own.

Swiatek is currently scheduled to return to action at the Italian Open, where she’ll look to get back to winning ways and defend her title.

The 2025 Italian Open is set to begin on Monday, May 5.