MADRID — In an electrifying display of skill, Coco Gauff stunned defending champion Iga Swiatek with a commanding 6-1, 6-1 victory, marking her first-ever appearance in the Madrid Open singles final this Thursday.
Gauff showcased her prowess by breaking Swiatek’s serve three times in the opening set and twice in the second, achieving a swift semifinal win in just 64 minutes against the world’s second-ranked player on the clay courts.
“My mindset throughout the match was purely aggressive,” Gauff, ranked fourth, remarked. “It might not have been her finest performance today, but I think I placed her in some challenging situations.”
Earlier, Swiatek had staged a comeback after losing the first set 0-6 to Madison Keys on Wednesday.
Gauff is set to compete in the final against either the top seed Aryna Sabalenka or Elina Svitolina.
In men’s quarterfinal action, Casper Ruud made headlines by defeating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-5, becoming the first player born in 1990 or later to reach 30 tour-level semifinals on clay.
Previously, the 15th-ranked Norwegian had faced a 0-3 career record against Medvedev.
“I checked our stats last night and realized he had beaten me on grass, outdoor hard, and indoor hard. The only surface left was clay, so I thought, ‘please don’t make it 4-0,’” Ruud shared. “I aimed to leverage the surface to my advantage. Overall, I think both players performed impressively—Daniil produced some serious power here on clay.”
Ruud will next face Francisco Cerundolo, who came from behind to defeat the teenager Jakub Mensik 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2.
Cerundolo had earlier triumphed over top-seeded Alexander Zverev in a stunning previous round.
The Madrid Open faced significant disruptions on Monday due to a widespread blackout that left Spain and Portugal in the dark. Over 20 matches were postponed at the Caja Magica tennis complex, leading to a packed schedule for the remainder of the week.
