Iga Swiatek beats Coco Gauff for 11th time, marches into French Open final after American breaks down in tears midway through

Iga Swiatek booked her place in the final of the 2024 French Open on Thursday, coming through against Coco Gauff with a solid 6-2, 6-4 win in the semifinals. The Pole will now take on either Mirra Andreeva or Jasmine Paolini in the final on Saturday.

Swiatek opened the clash on the front foot, breaking early to take a 2-0 lead. A second break of serve later on helped her secure the set 6-2, with Gauff playing some very aggressive, but error-prone tennis.

One set away from her third straight final at Roland Garros, the World No. 1 fell behind in the second set after Gauff broke early for a 3-1 lead. However, the two-time defending champion responded immediately, breaking back to level the scores at 3-3. Swiatek pressed the advantage by breaking the American's serve once more and took a 5-3 lead.

Serving to stay in the match, Gauff played a tough 10-minute service game, staving off two match points to prevent the 23-year-old from running away with the battle in straight sets. Serving next for the match, Swiatek made no mistake, wrapping up the set 6-4 in her fourth match point to book her spot in Saturday's final.

A point of controversy during the battle happened in the second set, when Coco Gauff broke down in tears after a heated argument with the chair umpire over a disputed call.

The victory in Paris marks the 11th time Swiatek has beaten Coco Gauff on the WTA tour, with the American having just one win against the World No. 1. The sole victory for Gauff came at the Cincinnati Open last year.

Despite loss to Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff will rise to World No. 2 after French Open

Swiatek at 2024 French Open - Day 12

Despite the straight-sets loss to Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff will rise to a new career-high ranking of World No. 2 after the end of the French Open. The American's rise was guaranteed after current No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka lost in the quarterfinals in surprise fashion to 17-year-old Russian sensation Mirra Andreeva.

Up next, Gauff does not have a lot of points to defend in the grass swing, and made a first-round exit at Wimbledon last year (loss to compatriot Sofia Kenin). It is the same in the case of Swiatek as well, as the World No. 1 exited Wimbledon in the quarterfinals with a loss to Elina Svitolina.