Coco Gauff acknowledged Iga Swiatek is “one of the best players in the world for a reason” and highlighted that she is preparing “for everything” when he meets the Pole. On Saturday, Gauff and Swiatek will clash against each other in the Beijing semifinal. After Swiatek won the first seven meetings against Gauff in straight sets, the American finally clinched her first win over the Pole when she beat the four-time Grand Slam champion 7-6 (2) 3-6 6-4 in the Cincinnati semifinal. “Everybody who plays her, no matter the game style, you have to be prepared to run and just be ready for everything. She’s in the position she is for a reason, she’s one of the best players in the world for a reason, and I’m just going to go out there and hopefully do a similar result to Cincinnati. If not, I’m really proud of the way that I’ve been doing to get to the semi-finals so far,” Gauff said of facing Swiatek.
Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek© Getty Images Sport – Adam Pretty
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Gauff feeling extremely confident ahead of the Swiatek match
On Friday, Gauff ousted Maria Sakkari 6-2 6-4 in the Beijing quarterfinal. Gauff has now won her last 16 matches and she owns the record for the most consecutive wins on the WTA Tour in 2023. “When I stepped on the court, some days you just feel like no matter what’s going to happen, you’re going to win. It’s nothing to do with the opponent. It’s just like how you’re feeling. That’s how I felt when I stepped on court today,” Gauff said after beating Sakkari. When Gauff meets Swiatek, she will be looking to clinch her 17th consecutive win and also reach her third consecutive final. Gauff, 19, is playing the tennis of her life and there is no doubt that Swiatek will enter the match knowing she needs to play her best from the very start against the American.