Even though Coco Gauff gave a really inspired performance at the 2024 Italian Open, she was defeated by Iga Swiatek for the tenth time in her career.

Prior to their clash in Rome, Swiatek and Gauff had played ten matches, with the Polish player holding a 9-1 head-to-head advantage. The Pole had defeated Gauff twelve times, but it took some effort for her to prevail in Rome.

The American’s approach to the rallies was inspired by her performance in this match. She used a lot more force and aggression in her shots than she usually did.

She was obviously trying to defeat the world’s best player at her own game by trying to outhit him from the baseline. Because the 20-year-old was up early in this match, everything went smoothly for a while.

After Swiatek rallied back, the bout was extremely evenly matched. Both had both high points and low points. It was just two players who had enjoyed a great week in Rome facing off in an intensely competitive encounter.

Gauff’s 40-0 lead on her serve in the ninth game proved to be the turning point in the first set. It was a deuce after a few bad rallies, and some anxiety started to show.

She was really disappointed that she had lost the game due to consecutive double faults. Swiatek won the first set 6-4 by holding solidly to close it out.

As the first set didn’t go too differently, the second set also followed a similar trend. Although both players appeared at ease, the top seed finally broke for a 3-2 advantage.

Then, she maintained her serve to take a 4–2 lead, which was sufficient. Gauff was not as sharp as she needed to be, but she still played well and with inspiration. With a final score of 6-4, 6-3, Swiatek advanced to yet another WTA 1000 final.

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