Is Iga Swiatek the sole reason Coco Gauff doesn't have more big titles? Exploring their rivalry

Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek are engaged in a developing rivalry in women's tennis. Both the WTA stars often find themselves competing for the big titles and face each other at the business end of tournaments. However, despite her recent resurgence, Gauff has struggled against the World No. 1.

The American has been one of the most in-form WTA stars throughout the last six months. She turned her potential into results with a title win at the US Open and announced her arrival on the big stage.

However, despite her incredible run of form, Coco Gauff only has one WTA 1000 title to show for it, mainly due to Iga Swiatek.

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Iga Swiatek's dominance against Coco Gauff in the WTA 1000

Gauff has made it to the semi-finals of a WTA 1000 tournament on five occasions, losing to Swiatek three times. She has struggled to find a way against the Pole on the big stage, resulting in an underwhelming trophy haul so far.

Gauff faced Swiatek for the first time in a WTA 1000 semi-final at the Italian Open 2021. The latter won the match 7-6 (3), 6-3 to register her first-ever win against Gauff and since then, has held the upper hand in this rivalry.

Swiatek and Gauff then met in the last four of the Dubai Tennis Championship and the China Open in 2023, with Swiatek winning both matches in straight sets. Gauff's only win against Swiatek came at the semi-final of the Cincinnati Open in 2023, on her way to her maiden WTA 1000 title win.

The most interesting part about these Swiatek semi-final wins is the amount of times she has gone on to win the tournament. Out of three times that Swiatek defeated Gauff in the semi-final, she won the final twice. On all three occasions, Swiatek faced an opponent outside the top five in the finals.

All these stats suggest that Coco Gauff would have been the favourite to win all three finals had she managed to defeat Iga Swiatek in the semis. However, there are no ifs and buts in tennis and Gauff's list of failures against Swiatek is a cause for concern.

Swiatek has a 9-1 head-to-head record against Gauff, in what has been a very one-sided rivalry so far. Gauff's only win against Swiatek was a hard-fought 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-4 victory in Cincinnati in front of her home crowd. Apart from that victory, Gauff has failed to even win a set against Swiatek.

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Can Coco Gauff change her fortunes against Iga Swiatek on clay courts?

Iga Swiatek defeated Coco Gauff in the French Open 2022 final

Coco Gauff burst onto the tennis scene with her impressive French Open run as a teenager in 2022. Iga Swiatek ended up winning the title in Paris that year, beating Gauff in straight sets. Two years on, it is evident that Gauff and Swiatek are among the best clay court players in the WTA.

Gauff enjoys playing on the European clay courts and has a game that suits the surface. However, she has been unlucky with the draw in recent times and has been knocked out by Swiatek on three occasions - twice at Roland Garros and once at the Italian Open.

Swiatek, meanwhile, is rapidly making her name as the "Queen of Clay," having won three French Open titles already at the age of 22.

With the duo set to face off again in the semifinals of the 2024 Italian Open, Gauff will be aiming to break her barren semi-final streak against the World No. 1.

A win against Swiatek in Rome would be a big confidence booster for Gauff ahead of the French Open. The latter's clay court journey has been a "so near yet so far" story up to now, but a win against the best clay court player in the world could go a long way in changing that.