Iga Swiatek beat Coco Gauff 6-4 6-3 to secure her place in the Italian Open final in Rome.
Gauff went up by an early break, but world number one Swiatek quickly retrieved the deficit before going on to take the opening set.
Swiatek broke the American’s serve in the fifth game of the second set before a double fault at 4-3 up resulted in the 22-year-old Pole facing only her second break point of the match.
That opportunity was not seized and Swiatek broke the world number three’s serve in the next game to win the match in one hour and 47 minutes.
Swiatek will play Aryna Sabalenka or Danielle Collins in the final.
“I’m just going to play as best tennis as possible in the final,” said Swiatek, who won the Italian Open in 2021 and 2022.
“Whoever is going to be in the final, they are both great players. It is still a long way to win and still a lot of work to do.”
