World No 1 Iga Swiatek conquered Coco Gauff in ruthless fashion to reach the final of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.
Top-ranked Swiatek extended her winning streak to 11 matches with a 6-4 6-3 victory in one hour and 48 minutes over the reigning US Open champion.
Swiatek, who is attempting to complete a clay double by winning the Madrid and Italian titles back to back, will face second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s final, after the latter beat Danielle Collins 7-5 6-2 later on Thursday.
Gauff may have defeated Swiatek in Cincinnati last summer but the gap remains considerable, and, despite a great start on the Italian clay, Gauff eventually fell to defeat with the Pole racking up her 10th win in 11 matches against the 20-year-old.
“I was just trying to be myself, focus on the work and trying to enjoy my time off the court as well so I can have the energy,” Swiatek told Sky Sports Tennis.
“I’m happy to be playing so consistently because it means that we’re doing everything well. I’m really proud of myself and the team as well.”
Asked whether writing tennis history is something that gives her extra motivation, Swiatek replied: “Honestly I’m not really thinking about that because it’s kind of a lot. I’m just living my life day by day. I’m not thinking about statistics or history. I think it’s easier that way. It makes you play more relaxed and more freely
“I’m just gonna try to play the best tennis as possible in the final. If I take it easy and step by step, I think it’s gonna be better than if I’m thinking about winning already.”
Gauff, who lost to Swiatek in her first Grand Slam final at the French Open two years ago, came out firing, breaking serve at the first opportunity.
She had two chances to make it 3-0 but could not convert them and from there the top seed began to take control, eventually winning the opening set when Gauff’s serve let her down.
The American fought hard to try to stay with Swiatek in the second set and had one chance to get back on serve at 4-3, but she could not take it and her challenge came to an end shortly afterwards.
Swiatek could now become only the third player in history to win the Madrid-Rome double after Dinara Safina in 2009 and Serena Williams in 2013.
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Gauff delighted the crowd with an incredible lob in the early stages of her semi-final with Swiatek
‘It was kind of like a dam breaking in the end’
“Coco fought hard to stay in the match. It was kind of like a dam breaking in the end, the leaks were starting to show and Iga finally came through it,” said British player Liam Broady on Sky Sports Tennis.
“It’s just a testament to how relentless she is. She just keeps going and going and going. Coco gave everything she had. She emptied the tank and it was a pretty straightforward scoreline.”
‘She’s unstoppable’
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Annabel Croft and Naomi Broady believe Swiatek could improve on a grass surface due to the fact that her speed of play is her main strength
“She’s pretty much unstoppable or the closest thing to unstoppable as you can get,” Liam’s sister Naomi Broady said.
“She’s taking out the best player in the world with another business-like performance from her against a player who is trying to become a member of the top four in the women’s game.”
Former British No 1 Annabel Croft added: “It is breathtaking to watch her play. It’s like a masterclass of ball-striking and the ability to go open space, open space, and then hit a clean winner and leaving arguably the best athlete in the women’s game stranded at times.
“It was quite unbelievable to watch that level of tennis.”
Tale of the Tape
Paul and Jarry book Italian Open semi-final spots in surprise men’s tournament
An unpredictable men’s tournament continued to throw up surprises, with American Tommy Paul defeating seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz 7-5 3-6 6-3 in a quarter-final featuring 13 breaks of serve.
“I started off pretty well, but things really got away from me there in the second set, and at the beginning of the third,” Paul said.
“I just had to stick around, fake a little energy to get myself going there in the third. I started looking for my forehand more, started hitting it bigger, and playing with a little bit more intensity. That was probably the key for me in the end.”
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Highlights of the quarter-final match between Hubert Hurkacz and Tommy Paul in Rome
Chile’s Nicolas Jarry will play Paul in the semi-finals after he battled back from a set down to beat two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6 7-5 6-4.
“I think beating Stefanos on clay is a good achievement,” Jarry said.
“Certainly happy with my fight today, for how I played and how I maintained myself. I kept trying to find different ways to have chances on his serve.
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Highlights of the quarter-final between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nicolas Jarry in Rome
“I knew I was playing good. I had to adjust some things in the backhand so he didn’t push me back, that’s why he played so good. I was able to do those things and I’m extremely happy for the win.
“I always practice, always trying to find ways to be better, be stronger, be happier, enjoying it more. The last two matches, I’ve enjoyed it a lot so that’s my greatest achievement so far.”
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