Coco Gauff's win streak ended by Pole Iga Swiatek in China Open semi-final; defeat halts run of 16 straight victories by Gauff; Liudmila Samsonova will face Swiatek in Sunday's final after defeating Elena Rybakina
Saturday 7 October 2023 17:10, UK
World No 2 Iga Swiatek snapped American Coco Gauff's 16-match winning run with a dominant 6-2 6-3 victory on Saturday to move into the China Open final.
Gauff had beaten Swiatek in their last meeting in the semi-finals at Cincinnati to end a seven-match losing run against the Pole before going on to capture her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open and arrive in Beijing in red-hot form.
But Swiatek, who had surrendered her top ranking to Aryna Sabalenka after losing to Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round of the season's final Grand Slam last month, regained her grip on her rivalry with Gauff to reach a seventh final this year.
Liudmila Samsonova will face Swiatek in Sunday's showpiece after the Russian ousted fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina 7-6 (9-7) 6-3.
"I'm really happy with my performance," said Swiatek.
"It feels like I can play freely again. It's been a while since I felt that way.
"I'll remember for the rest of my career that even though tougher times may come, in your mind, you can always overcome that - with hard work, you can achieve it.
"I'm happy I switched my attitude after the US Open, and hopefully I'll be able to keep it for as long as possible."
The 22-year-old did not face a single break point during the first set, which she eased through in 40 minutes with a typically strong display from the back of the court.
Swiatek put early pressure on Gauff in the next set and surged to 2-0 with an early break before her American opponent held serve and took a medical timeout to address a niggling shoulder problem.
The four-time major champion barely stepped off the gas after the restart and completed the victory in style to stay on course for her first WTA 1000 title of the season and a tour-leading fifth trophy this year.
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