World No. 1 Iga Swiatek continued her run of dominance at the Dubai Tennis Championships in Friday’s semifinal round, besting American teenager Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2.
The win marked Swiatek’s sixth against Gauff in six meetings, and the 21-year-old Polish star advances to her 15th career final.
The straight-sets win was nonetheless the closest Swiatek has had at this tournament. She has dropped just 14 games through six matches. The semifinal match is the only one so far in which she has not won a set 6-0 or 6-1.
Our first finalist in Dubai ✨No.1 seed @iga_swiatek moves past Gauff 6-4, 6-2 to reach her first final at the @DDFTennis! pic.twitter.com/DHNV0aQway— wta (@WTA) February 24, 2023
Our first finalist in Dubai ✨No.1 seed @iga_swiatek moves past Gauff 6-4, 6-2 to reach her first final at the @DDFTennis! pic.twitter.com/DHNV0aQway
Still, Swiatek believes she still has room for improvement in her game, even as she stands at the peak of the tennis world.
“I feel I have many things to improve on the court. Sometimes it’s not going to be visible by results or the way I play,” she said.
“It’s more about how I want to approach the tournaments mentally, my attitude, and developing as a player because I feel I have many things to improve on the court. Sometimes it’s not going to be visible by results or the way I play. I think I can have more options on court. These are my goals.”
Swiatek is coming off a career year in 2022, in which she won the French Open and the US Open. She lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open to start 2023 but won the Qatar Open over Jessica Pegula on Feb. 18.