Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff renewed their rivalry at the United Cup, where the American took the latest bragging rights.
Gauff beat Swiatek 6-4, 6-2 in the United Cup semifinal between the USA and Poland, with their clash in Sydney lasting one hour and 41 minutes.
But it was the Pole who would have the last laugh, with her nation defeating the defending champions 2-1 to secure a final spot against Switzerland.
Hubert Hurkacz won his singles match against Taylor Fritz, with Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski claiming doubles success against Gauff and Christian Harrison.
Pick your all-time dream United Cup squad!
Iga Swiatek congratulates Coco Gauff after United Cup loss
Swiatek was heavily involved in the discussion after the semifinal tie, where she was asked why she thinks her head-to-head with Gauff has changed recently.
She replied: “Yeah, for sure I feel like Coco has improved stuff. It’s quite visible.
“The matches we played a couple of years back where most of them were kind of one-sided.
“I feel like that’s it. She’s also growing in age, more experienced as well.
“So yeah, she’s a top player for many years now, even though she started when she was like, 16, much earlier than most of us do.
“Yeah, congrats to her basically.”
Coco Gauff has the momentum in thrilling Iga Swiatek rivalry
Swiatek went into her latest meeting with Gauff with a very positive record, having won 11 of their 15 matches.
But the American star won the last three of those, including their 2025 meetings at the United Cup and Madrid.
Gauff also won their 2024 WTA Finals clash, and clearly now has a way of beating Swiatek after so many earlier struggles.
Prove us wrong…
It’s undoubtedly one of the most intriguing rivalries on the WTA Tour and in tennis in general, with another meeting potentially taking place at the Australian Open.
The momentum is undoubtedly with Gauff at this moment in time, but Swiatek triumphed in their last Grand Slam match at the 2024 French Open.
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