Coco Gauff is shutting down any questions or concerns about her skills throughout her second tournament on clay court this season. She’s even putting up new career heights and highlights, dominating World No. 2 Iga Swiatek on her way to the Mutua Madrid Open final.

Gauff very swiftly and decisively took Swiatek down in 64 total minutes, notching 6-1, 6-1 in straight sets to reach the final round of the Madrid Open for the first time. The victory also marked Gauff’s third in a row over the tournament’s reigning champion.

The 21-year-old was nearly flawless against Swiatek, only giving up the first game before rattling off 11 consecutive game wins. She’s the one player Swiatek has beaten the most in her career, and Gauff went into detail in her post-match interview about how she was able to separate her game from her competitor’s.

“I think the mentality that I had the whole match,” Gauff said. “I was aggressive and played with margin. Maybe it wasn’t her best level. For me, it was just making sure my level stayed the same. In the second [game], I raised it.”

Related NewsArticle continues below
Coco Gauff (USA) reacts after losing a point against Magna Linette (POL)(not pictured) on day seven of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium
Coco Gauff flounders 2nd-straight tournament final with Italian Open loss
Featured image Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff endures over 3-hour battle to reach 1st Italian Open final
Featured image former Aryna Sabalenka
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka suffers surprising upset in Rome

The World No. 4 surely proved her mind was focused on the match with her outstanding performance. Gauff had 18 winners and just four unforced errors to Swiatek’s seven and 21, respectively, finishing with six aces and no break points.

The win also made Gauff the third-youngest player to reach WTA-1000 finals on both clay and hard court, slotting in behind only Caroline Wozniacki — and none other than Swiatek.

Swiatek, meanwhile, has been almost unstoppable on red clay before this semifinal match, with only legend Steffi Graf possessing a higher win rate (75%) against WTA Top 10 opponents than her own (70%) in the last 35 years. But she had a turbulent start to the Madrid Open, losing six straight games in the first set in back-to-back days.

Coco Gauff is set to find out who her opponent in the final will be after World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina face off.