PARIS (AFP) – Iga Swiatek romped into her second French Open final on Thursday and will face Coco Gauff for the title after the teenager became the youngest Grand Slam finalist since 2004.
World number one Swiatek, the 2020 Roland Garros champion, cruised to a dominant 6-2, 6-1 semi-final victory over Russian Daria Kasatkina after just 64 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier.
That extended her unbeaten streak to 34 matches.
Swiatek will equal Venus Williams’ record for the longest women’s winning run since 2000 if she beats 18-year-old Gauff, who brushed aside Martina Trevisan 6-3, 6-1, on Saturday.
“I’m so grateful. It’s easier to play matches with this kind of support,” Swiatek, who won 10 of the last 11 games, said in her on-court interview.
“It’s surprising this week how much they’re supporting me.
“I try to treat every match in the same way because when I think about how it’s the biggest match of the season so far, it stresses me out.”
It will be the 21-year-old’s second major final, as she looks to win a sixth consecutive WTA title.
The Polish star has stormed up the rankings this season, moving from world number seven to the summit during her remarkable run.
Gauff brushed aside Trevisan in a nervous match which saw both players featuring in a major semi-final for the first time.
Gauff is the youngest Grand Slam finalist since Maria Sharapova stunned Serena Williams to win Wimbledon 18 years ago.
“I think I’m a little bit in shock right now,” said 2018 junior champion Gauff. I didn’t know how to react after the match. I’m lost for words.”
The players made 37 unforced errors between them in a poor first set before Gauff upped her game to race through the second.
The 18th seed will be a heavy underdog against Swiatek, but says she is not feeling the pressure.
“It’s a Grand Slam final but there are so many things going on in the world right now, especially in the US, so I don’t think it’s worth stressing about it,” said Gauff, referring to the deadly school shooting in Texas last month, after writing “peace, end gun violence” on a courtside camera.
Gauff, who burst onto the scene by reaching the Wimbledon fourth round as a 15-year-old three years ago, has still not lost a set over the fortnight in Paris.
In Friday’s men’s semi-finals, 13-time champion Rafael Nadal will take on third seed Alexander Zverev before Norwegian Casper Ruud plays Croatia’s Marin Cilic.
