"Coco Gauff is a nice person, she wouldn't mean it" - Iga Swiatek shrugs off being hit by American at French Open

Iga Swiatek did not make too much of a deal out of being hit by Coco Gauff during their quarterfinal clash at the 2023 French Open.

The Pole booked her place in the semifinals of the clay-court Slam by beating the American 6-4, 6-2 on Wednesday. During the match, Gauff hit a ball which struck Swiatek on the body, but the World No. 1 seemed unfazed.

The 22-year-old reiterated her stance on the event as she shrugged it off when asked about it in her post-match press conference. Swiatek called Gauff a nice person and claimed that she definitely wouldn't have meant to hit her.

"Yeah, it is. I don't really know if that was her only option or not, but I know Coco is a nice person, and she wouldn't mean it. Nothing personal. It happens," the Pole said.

Iga Swiatek will face Beatriz Haddad Maia in the semifinals of the French Open

After defeating Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek will next face 14th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the semifinals of the French Open.

The Brazilian reached the final four of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career by beating Ons Jabeur 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-1 in the quarterfinals. She thus became the first player from her country to reach a Major semifinal since Maria Bueno in 1968.

Swiatek and Haddad Maia will lock horns for the second time, with the latter winning their previous fixture 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in the third round of the 2022 National Bank Open.

The Pole spoke about the matchup in her post-match press conference and called the Brazilian a fighter

"Well, for sure she's the fighter, and she showed even today that she's fighting until the last ball. It pays off. For sure you have to kind of be ready even when you feel like you're leading or whatever. You have to play every point 100%," Iga Swiatek said.

"We played in Toronto, and I would say actually this was one of the matches that had similar conditions in terms of the wind. It was also windy that day. Obviously surface is different, so we'll see. I've never played against her on clay. Again, as before any other match, I will kind of focus on myself and what I want to do on court," she added.

The winner of the clash between Swiatek and Haddad Maia will face either second seed Aryna Sabalenka or Karolina Muchova in the French Open final.