Gauff gets return swing at Swiatek

World No. 1 beat US star in ’22 final

PARIS — Coco Gauff could have hoped for the easy way out. Ever since the French Open bracket determined the 19-year-old Floridian might end up in a quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek, it would have been understandable if Gauff wished to avoid that particular matchup.

Gauff lost to Swiatek in the final at Roland Garrosa year ago, and Swiatek owns a 6-0 head-to-head lead in their still-nascent careers. But, at least in part because of what happened on June 4, 2022, and at least in part because she knows Swiatek sets the bar in women’s tennis these days, Gauff was thinking about, even wishing for, a rematch.

That is what will happen on Wednesday in Paris: No. 1 Swiatek vs. No. 6 Gauff for a berth in the semifinals. In Monday’s fourth round, Gauff put aside a bloody knee from a fall to produce a 7-5, 6-2 victory over 100th-ranked Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

Swiatek moved on when her opponent, 66th-ranked Lesia Tsurenko, stopped playing because she was sick and had problems breathing while trailing, 5-1, in the first set.

Gauff was wrapping up her news conference just as Swiatek and Tsurenko were playing their very first point in Court Suzanne Lenglen.

So the question was put to Gauff: Would you rather deal with the difficulty of facing Swiatek again or face pretty much anyone else?

“Since last year, I have been wanting to play her — especially at this tournament. I figured that it was going to happen, because I figured I was going to do well and she was going to do well,” Gauff said. “But I’m the type of mentality: If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. I think also if you want to improve, you have to play the best. I feel like the way my career has gone so far, if I see a level, and if I’m not quite there at that level, I know I have to improve. And I feel like you don’t really know what you have to improve on until you see that level.”

Swiatek already achieved some of what Gauff wants to achieve. The 22year-old from Poland took over at No. 1 in the rankings 14 months ago, a status that is on the line at this tournament. She owns three Grand Slam titles — two at the French Open and one at the US Open.

Gauff ’s best showing at a major was at Roland Garros, where she is into the quarterfinals for the third consecutive appearance.

“It would be almost cowardly to say that I want to not face the noise and not face the challenge, but I think that I’m up for it. I have improved a lot since last year, and she has, too,” Gauff said about a halfhour before it was known that she indeed would play Swiatek next.

Swiatek figures they know each other’s games well, but she also made the point that a quarterfinal does not have the same stakes or same pressure as a final does.

“This is a totally different year, totally different tournament,” said Swiatek, who hasn’t dropped a set so far and won four by a 6-0 score. “I have to be ready, regardless of what happened last year.”

The other quarterfinal on that half of the draw will be No. 7 Ons Jabeur vs. Beatriz Haddad Maia.

The men’s quarterfinals will feature a redo of a contentious matchup last year in that round: No. 4 Casper Ruud against No. 6 Holger Rune. Another quarterfinal will be No. 22 Alexander Zverev and Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who both won in straight sets.