By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, February 23, 2023
Coco Gauff beat Madison Keys 6-2, 7-5 to set up a Dubai semifinal vs. world No. 1 Iga Swiatek that will be a rematch of the 2022 Roland Garros final.
Photo credit: Robert Prange/Getty
A traditional tennis adage advises: What you don't know can hurt you.
Sometimes, what you do know can cause plenty of pain, too.
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Coco Gauff knows how familiarity can fuel success and stinging setbacks.
Playing with clarity and conviction, Gauff powered past practice partner Madison Keys 6-2, 7-5 into the Dubai Duty Free Championships semifinals.
Last week, Gauff hit with Keys last week in Doha in what proved to be productive practices: Gauff and partner Jessica Pegula went on to capture the Doha doubles championship. Keys knocked off a pair of Top 20 players, Caroline Garcia and Victoria Azarenka, en route to this quarterfinal.
Today, Gauff whipped the wide serve effectively. The fifth-seeded Gauff served 73 percent, did not double fault, defended her second serve with vigor (eight of 16 second-serve points) and faced just one break point in a one hour, 21-minute triumph.
Gauff played the pivotal points with more margin and care, converting four of five break points to beat Keys for the second time in three meetings following her US Open victory last summer. Gauff said shared knowledge about each other's styles simplified her approach for this meeting. Knowing she can't fool her sometime practice partner, Gauff focused on executing her shots.
"I feel like you don't want to beat someone you know pretty well. But also this is our third time playing against each other so I think we knew what each other liked," Gauff said. "We practiced last week together in Doha. It definitely helps.
"But sometimes it doesn't help because they know what you like to do because they've played against you so much. You kind of just have to stick to your game plan."
Gauff advanced to her second career WTA 1000 semifinal, setting a WTA record in the process as the first woman to reach two different 1000 semifinals before celebrating her 19th birthday.
The victory vaults Gauff from comfort zone to danger zone: a semifinal showdown vs. world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
The red-hot Swiatek, who ravaged the opposition in a record run to her 12th career title in Doha last weekend, took a walkover into the semifinals when two-time major champion Karolina Pliskova was forced to withdraw due to illness.
Tomorrow's semifinal is a rematch of the 2022 Roland Garros final.
On Roland Garros' red clay, a sharp Swiatek outclassed an 18-year-old Gauff 6-1, 6-3 to lift La Coupe Suzanne Lenglen for the second time in the last three years—and stretch her winning streak to 35 matches. Swiatek’s 35th consecutive win matched Venus Williams record for the longest WTA winning streak of the century and she eventually stretched that streak to 37 consecutive wins.
These two have a history and it resembles a horror show for Gauff.
Imposing her heavy topspin forehand, Swiatek has battered the American's weaker forehand wing repeatedly in posting a 5-0 record over Gauff, sweeping all 10 sets they've played.
The three-time major champion has not only beaten Gauff, she's dismantled her dishing out two bagels in their last four sets. Gauff hasn't won more than four games in a match against Swiatek since a 7-6(3), 6-3 defeat in their first meeting at the 2021 Rome.
While there's scar tissue, Gauff says she's hoping she learned from littany of loss.
"All five times I did something wrong, to be honest," Gauff said. "She's playing great tennis and there's a reason why she's world No. 1. Tomorrow, I have no pressure."
You can argue this may be the worst moment for Gauff to try to stall her free-fall against Swiatek.
A dominant Swiatek has evoked memories of the young Steffi Graff tearing through opponents with exacting efficiency. These days, simply surviving on court more than one hour vs. Swiatek is an achievement. Swiatek has dropped only nine games in her five wins since she suffered an Australian Open fourth-round loss to Rybakina.
So what can change now?
Obviously, Gauff must land her first serve with the accuracy she displayed against Keys today. The doubles standout must also use her transition skills and net play to try to pressure Swiatek and prevent the Pole from pounding her forehand into submission again and again.
Gauff, who celebrates her 19th birthday on March 13th, knows better than any of us the challenge she faces against an in-form and hungry Swiatek. The Delray Beach baseliner says self-belief is key to her shot at slowing the Swiatek Express.
"I'm just going to try to play my game," Gauff said. "I definitely think I've gotten better since the last time I played her.
"Ranking is just a number at the end of the day so you kind of just have to step on the court believing you can win and that's what I'm gonna do tomorrow."