Iga Swiatek to play for third-straight French Open title after powering past Coco Gauff in semifinal

Iga Swiatek will get the chance to defend her French Open title for the third year in a row after eliminating Coco Gauff in two sets during the semifinal match on Thursday. 

Swiatek, 23, continues to prove herself as the women’s No. 1 ranked tennis pro and will now have a chance to claim her fourth French Open title in just four years, and her third consecutive. 

Iga Swiatek of Poland plays a forehand against Coco Gauff of United States during the Women’s Singles Semi-Final match on Day 12 at Roland Garros on June 6, 2024, in Paris, France.  (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

“For sure, it was intense,” Swiatek said after the match. “I’m happy that I just was consistent with my tactics and didn’t overthink stuff and just went for it at the end.”

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Gauff, the reigning U.S. Open champion, struggled against Swiatek’s clean performance. She committed 39 unforced errors against Swiatek’s 14. 

A visibly frustrated Gauff lashed out against umpire Aurélie Tourt early in the second set after Tourt overturned a call against Swiatek’s serve, and instead awarded the point to the Polish tennis star. 

Gauff’s issue was that despite hitting the serve out, the line judge’s initial call interrupted her swing. 

Coco Gauff speaks to umpire

Coco Gauff of United States reacts with the umpire against Iga Swiatek of Poland during the Women’s Singles Semi-Final match on Day 12 at Roland Garros on June 6, 2024, in Paris, France.  (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

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“But if he called it before I hit it, I stopped my reaction,” Gauff said in a video, via Eurosport.

“They’re booing because you’re wrong,” she continued, referencing the crowd’s reaction. “He called it before I hit the ball. I have the right to finish my swing.”

“This is a Grand Slam semifinal, know the rules of the game.” 

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Iga Swiatek celebrates

Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates defeating Coco Gauff of the United States in the semi-final on Day 12 of the French Open at Roland Garros on June 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (Robert Prange/Getty Images)

The incident appeared to bring Gauff to tears, but the American tennis star was able to recover and break Swiatek for a 3-1 lead in the set. 

But it wasn’t enough to shift the momentum in her favor. Swiatek would win the match 6-2, 6-4. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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