Coco Gauff Battles Iga Swiatek In 2025 Madrid Open Semifinal

Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek face off in the semifinal at the 2025 Madrid Open. This marks the 15th meeting between Swiatek and Gauff, the No. 2 and No. 4 seeds, respectively. This encounter comes at a pivotal point in their careers and with the No. 2 ranking on the line.

The match features two champions seeking a reset on an inconsistent season. Swiatek is a five-time Grand Slam champion who hasn’t won a WTA Tour title this year. Until today, Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, hadn’t reached a semifinal at a 1000-level tournament this season.

Both looked solid in the quarterfinals. Gauff defeated teen sensation Mirra Andreeva, 7-5, 6-1. In the first set, Gauff faced two break points at 4-5 and won eight straight games to take a 7-5, 5-0 lead before Andreeva held to avoid a bagel. Gauff looked like a different player from the person who barely survived her opening-round match against Dayana Yastremska 0-6, 6-2, 7-5.

Against Andreeva, Gauff played more aggressively, and her much-maligned forehand held up.

“Off the ground I think I was dictating most of the rallies, so happy with that. For sure, my movement, and serving well, so, yeah, overall happy with everything,” Gauff told reporters in a post-match press conference.

Gauff rated her performance against Andreeva a 9 out of 10, in an interview with The Tennis Channel.

“I think I played really well and was able to stay composed even when I was facing set points, so I’m really happy with how I played today,” said Gauff.

Swiatek had a tougher time in her quarterfinal match. Madison Keys blanked Swiatek in the first set, 6-0. Swiatek returned the favor, winning the second set 6-3 before closing the match 0-6, 6-3, 6-2.

“Honestly, it was one of the weirdest matches I’ve ever played. I didn’t feel like (the first set) was that bad. I felt the ball well — it just went super long,” said Swiatek in an on-court post-match interview.

Swiatek, once the most dominant woman on tour, needs to defeat Gauff to secure the No. 2 ranking. If Gauff defeats Swiatek and wins the tournament, she can reclaim the No. 2 spot.

Iga Swiatek Might Be Losing Her Invincibility

Fighting for No. 2 is new for the once-dominant Swiatek, who first reached No. 1 in April 2022 after Ash Barty retired.

Swiatek held the No. 1 ranking from April 2022 until September 2023, when Aryna Sabalenka claimed the top spot for two months. Swiatek won back the No. 1 ranking in November 2023 and held onto it until October 2024.

Now, Swiatek is playing to avoid dropping to No. 3. Holding on to No. 2 will get more difficult because she has Italian Open and French Open championship points to defend.

Swiatek is no longer invincible, and the other players are beginning to notice. Alexandra Eala, 18, upset Swiatek at the Miami Open. Jelena Ostapenko defeated Swiatek in the final at Stuttgart. Ostapenko is 6-0 against Swiatek.

Swiatek’s fans like to joke about “Iga’s Bakery” for all the bagels and breadsticks she serves opponents. However, during the Madrid Open, Swiatek played in three three-set matches, dished out one bagel and got bageled in the first set of the quarterfinals.

When Swiatek won the 2024 French Open, it was her fifth Major title and she was only 23. Her name started popping up in conversations about the all-time greats Serena Williams and Steffi Graf. However, Swiatek hasn’t won a title since last year’s French Open, and instead of GOAT status, her career trajectory looks more like Martina Hingis’s run.

Hingis is in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Like Swiatek, Hingis stormed onto the WTA Tour. She won five Grand Slam titles by age 18. However, Hingis did not thrive in the “Big Babe” era against a barrage of heavy hitters like the Williams sisters, Maria Sharapova, and Kim Clijsters. Hingis retired with five Grand Slam titles.

Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Ostapenko are today’s big babes, and they have opened the Iga playbook for players like Gauff. Hit Swiatek off the court. Attack her second serve, and she starts feeling the pressure. Keys did just that in the first set before dialing back.

Coco Gauff Vs Iga Swiatek Head-To-Head History

Swiatek is 11-3 against Gauff. Before last year, Swiatek led their head-to-head 11-1. Swiatek went 0-14 in sets in their first seven matches. When they met in the final of the 2022 French Open, Swiatek destroyed Gauff, 6-1, 6-3, and left the American in tears.

Last year, Gauff upset Swiatek at the WTA Finals, then again during the United Cup. Gauff’s won their previous two meetings. Despite Gauff’s recent wins, Swiatek, undefeated against Gauff on clay, will be the favorite. This will be their first meeting in Madrid.

“I mean, she’s obviously tough on Clay. I think on any surface but especially on clay,” Gauff said of Swiatek. “I’m going to approach it like a different, you know kind of match and a different meetup. But hopefully I can you know go out there and play great tennis like I did today.”

Neither Gauff nor Swiatek is having their best year. Swiatek is 25-7. That’s a record most players would love to have. However, Swiatek went 68-11 in 2023 and 61-9 in 2024.

Gauff got off to a great start in 2025, defeating Swiatek in United Cup play and reaching the quarterfinal of the Australian Open. But she lost her opening matches at Indian Wells and the Miami Open. Gauff is No. 12 in the WTA Tour Race to Riyad. Winner of the 2024 WTA Final champion, Gauff wouldn’t make the cut this year if the season ended today.

The key to the match might be which forehand holds up under pressure. Gauff’s forehand is known to collapse under pressure. Swiatek is less error-prone but under scoreboard pressure, her forehand withers too. Gauff’s serve-in-progress will also be a factor. She’s been tweaking it since bringing on new coach Matt Daly, a grib specialist.

With momentum, a spot in the final, and the No. 2 ranking on the line, expect Guaff and Swiatek to bring their A-games. Anything less and their opponent will pounce.