Coco Gauff believes she ‘lost in the right way’ after exiting the semi-finals of the Italian Open on Thursday.
The reigning US Open champion fell 6-4, 6-3, to top seed Iga Swiatek after putting up a stern fight with the first set lasting almost an hour. Gauff was broken four times in her latest encounter with the Polish world No.1, who she has now lost to in ten out of their 11 Tour-level meetings. Her sole win was at the 2023 Cincinnati Open.
Despite her lopsided record against Swiatek, an undeterred Gauff says her confidence has risen during the clay swing heading into the French Open where she will be bidding to become the first American to win the title since Serena Williams in 2015. At the Italian Open, she recorded her first win over a top 10 player this season by beating Zheg Qinwen in the quarter-finals. That was also the 200th win of her career across all levels.
“I think from the start of the clay till now, I feel like my confidence is definitely very high,” said Gauff.
“It sucks to lose, but I know I lost playing the right way. I know that I’m a good player and that I can do better in those moments. I think I’m just trusting myself and my practice at that.
“I think the way that I lost, it wasn’t because a wing or a shot broke down, it’s because she (Swiatek) was the better player. If I lose matches like that, we go back and we practice.”
Looking ahead to Roland Garros, the world No.3 is targeting another strong run at the Grand Slam. It is the only major event where she has reached the quarter-finals or better on three separate occasions. Her best run was to the final in 2022 when she was denied the title by Swiatek.
“I think going into Roland Garros, like if you asked me pretournament and now, I feel like I’m a different player in terms of just how I’ve been playing.” She said.
“Going into it, I know she’s (Swiatek) the one to beat if I want to win Roland Garros. I’m going to take what I learned from today (Thursday) and try to apply that next time we play, which I hope is at Roland Garros.”
Gauff has won seven WTA titles so far in her career but only one of them was on clay. That was back in 2021 at the Parma Open in Italy.
