Gauff Secures Landmark Victory Over Swiatek in Madrid Open

Coco Gauff delivered a stunning performance to defeat Iga Swiatek in the Madrid Open semi-final on Thursday, achieving a 6-1, 6-1 victory and marking her first win against Swiatek on clay.

Swiatek, the top-ranked Polish player and a multiple Grand Slam champion, struggled to create any opportunities, failing to secure a single break point and losing her serve five times during the 64-minute match.

While Swiatek typically excels on clay, her Madrid title defense proved challenging. She faced setbacks against Alexandra Eala and Diana Shnaider and was also defeated by Madison Keys earlier in the competition. Although Swiatek rebounded with a win against Keys, she was ultimately overcome by Gauff.

This defeat leaves Swiatek with only the upcoming Italian Open as preparation before she defends her French Open title later in May. Her triumph at Roland Garros in 2024 remains her most recent title.

Gauff dominated the first set, securing breaks in the third, fifth, and seventh games, eventually converting her second set point. She continued her momentum in the second set, achieving two more breaks and clinching the match on her serve.

Gauff’s impressive performance included seven aces, contrasting sharply with Swiatek’s single ace.

“I felt fantastic on the court today, a significant contrast to my initial match here,” said Gauff, who previously overcame Dayana Yastremska in three sets at the Manolo Santana stadium. Following that, Gauff secured straight-set victories in her subsequent three matches at the Arantxa Sanchez stadium before returning to center court.

“I believe in our previous encounters on clay, I hadn’t yet achieved a victory against her… It’s evident that she’s a formidable player on clay, but clay is also among my preferred surfaces. I believed that if I could defeat her on hard court, I could replicate that success on clay.”
Coco Gauff had previously defeated Iga Swiatek at the 2025 United Cup and in the WTA Finals the prior year, both on hard court surfaces.

Aryna Sabalenka was set to face Elina Svitolina in the other semi-final.

Men’s Draw: Ruud Advances to Semi-Finals

In the men’s competition at the Madrid Open, Casper Ruud advanced to the semi-finals by defeating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-5.

The Norwegian player, who previously defeated Taylor Fritz to reach the quarter-finals, achieved his first victory against Medvedev in their fourth encounter. Ruud capitalized on two of his eight break points, while Medvedev, who has expressed his dislike for clay, failed to secure any breaks.

Ruud applied pressure on Medvedev’s serve in the first set, breaking in the fourth game. The second set saw Ruud convert a crucial break point in the 11th game, allowing him to serve for the match.

Medvedev’s performance was marred by 33 unforced errors and four double faults. Ruud is set to compete against Francisco Cerundolo in the semi-finals, following Cerundolo’s victory over Jakub Mensik 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2.

Jack Draper is scheduled to face Matteo Arnaldi, while Lorenzo Musetti will compete against Gabriel Diallo in the remaining quarter-finals.