Serena Williams' former coach eager to see Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek battle it out on WTA tour for another decade

Former doubles World No. 1 Rennae Stubbs has stated that she hopes to see Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek battle it out on the WTA tour for at least 10 more years.

Gauff and Swiatek have been two of the strongest players on the women's tour in recent years and have faced each other nine times to date. The latter won seven matches on the trot before Gauff beat the Pole for the first time in Cincinnati earlier this year en route to clinching the title.

The two most recently faced each other in the semifinals of the China Open, where Swiatek won 6-2, 6-3 to end Gauff's 16-match unbeaten streak and advance to the final.

Stubbs, who coached Serena Williams in her final weeks before retirement, took to social media to praise both players and hoped to see them go toe-to-toe for the next decade.

"I hope these two play each other for another decade! ⁦@CocoGauff @iga_swiatek," she said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

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After win against Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek to face Liudmila Samsonova in China Open final

Iga Swiatek in action at the 2023 China Open.

Coco Gauff came into her China Open semifinal against Iga Swiatek with momentum behind her. She was on a 16-match winning streak, the longest of her career and the longest by an American teenager since Serena Williams, who also won 16 matches back-to-back in 1999.

Swiatek came out strong in Beijing and finished the match with 17 winners to just six unforced errors, and did not face a single break point throughout. The former World No. 1 expressed satisfaction with her win and stated that it has given her belief that she can always overcome obstacles.

"I'm really happy with my performance. It feels like I can play freely again, so I'm really happy. It's been a while since I felt that way. So I'll remember for the rest of my career that even though tougher times may come, in your mind, you can always overcome that. And with hard work, you can achieve it," she said in her on-court interview.

"I'm happy that I switched my attitude after US Open, and hopefully I'll be able to keep it for as long as possible," she added.

In the final, Swiatek will take on World No. 22 Liudmila Samsonova, who defeated Elena Rybakina 7-6(7), 6-3 in the other semifinal. If the Pole manages to come through the contest unscathed, she will pick up her first WTA 1000 title of the season and a WTA tour-leading fifth title of the year.