By CNN
—
Coco Gauff was defeated by world No. 2 Iga Świątek in the semifinals of the China Open on Saturday, ending her 16-match win streak.
World No. 3 Gauff has enjoyed the best spell of her career this summer, becoming a grand slam champion for the first time at the US Open and embarking on the longest winning streak by an American teenager since Serena Williams in 1999, according to the WTA.
But that all came to end as Świątek cruised to a 6-2 6-3 win against the American in Beijing.
“I’m really proud of myself,” Gauff said afterwards, according to the China Open. “Hopefully next year I can continue this consistency, maybe not 16 in a row on a consistent level, but as long as I can string along some wins, 1000 title wins, and hopefully a grand slam would be a great goal for me.”
Gauff and Świątek are used to playing each other. They have faced each other more than any other opponent and the match almost always ends in Świątek favor. The Pole has now defeated Gauff eight times and lost only once.
Świątek dominated the first set, hitting just four unforced errors and conceding zero break points, as she coasted to a 6-2 lead.
She then broke Gauff in the first game of the second set, and the match paused at 2-1 when Gauff called a medical timeout due to an injured right shoulder.
Gauff continued to play but she could not stem the tide and succumbed to her first defeat since August, ending the longest winning streak on the WTA Tour this year, according to Reuters.
“It feels like I can play freely again, so I’m really happy,” Świątek said per the WTA afterwards, following a period in which she has relinquished her world No. 1 status and crashed out the US Open in the round of 16.
“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.”
Świątek will now face world No. 22 Liudmila Samsonova for the China Open title on Sunday.
