Rivalries are what add the real spice to tennis. On the men’s side, we were spoiled with the Big Three: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic pushing each other to the edge. But women’s tennis has never been short of drama either. From the Williams sisters butting heads to the iconic Evert–Navratilova showdowns, there’s always been fire on the court. Now, in the Gen Z era, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek were seen as the rivals to look out for. But it looks like Coco Gauff is shaping up her own narrative.
On Thursday, Gauff delivered a stunning performance to defeat Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 and advance to her first Mutua Madrid Open final. The 2023 US Open champion reached the title match of her first clay-court WTA 1000 with a commanding display against her long-time hurdle. The victory came in just 64 minutes at the Manolo Santana Stadium.
Until recently, the 21-year-old had lost all 11 of her matches against Swiatek, and not a single one of those matches went the distance. Straight sets, every time. Five of those defeats came on clay. Three of them were at Roland Garros. Ouch. But it looks like something has clicked since the WTA Finals in 2024, when Gauff finally broke the curse and beat Swiatek in straight sets. Since then, she hasn’t dropped a set in this rivalry. She beat her again at the United Cup to kick off 2025. And now, the magic continues in Madrid.
This isn’t just one match. It could be the start of something much bigger. That’s exactly what the American believes. After the match, she said, “I cannot believe Iga & I played each other this many times. I’m 21, she’s 23, we’re so young & we both at least have like 10 more years in this game. I feel like we’re going to end up having the record for most times playing against each other ever in tennis history.”
Gauff: I cannot believe Iga & I played each other this many times (15). I’m 21, she’s 23, we’re so young & we both at least have, like, 10 more years in this game. I feel like we’re going to end up having the record for most times playing against each other ever in tennis history
— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) May 1, 2025
To put that in perspective, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova hold the current record. They faced off 80 times between 1973 and 1988. Navratilova leads their head-to-head 43–37. That’s 15 years of epic showdowns. In fact, Navratilova still holds the record for the most matches played and most wins in women’s tennis: 1,661 matches played, 1,442 won.
So if Gauff and Swiatek keep at it, who knows? We might just be witnessing the start of something legendary. It did have all the ingredients of a true rivalry, with emotions running high on the court.
Iga Swiatek fails to hold back her emotions as Coco Gauff dominates
Coco Gauff was in beast mode in Madrid. She won 57 of 83 points. Fired six aces. Faced zero breakpoints. On her first serve? She lost just two points. She smacked 18 winners and only made four unforced errors. Meanwhile, Swiatek just couldn’t find her rhythm. She hit seven winners but handed over 21 unforced errors. That’s triple the amount Gauff had.
Her body language said it all. The World No.2 looked completely out of sorts, even yelling at her box. The chair umpire caught the tail end and hit her with a code violation for audible obscenity. Emotions ran high. Just three games into the second set, cameras caught a poignant moment during the changeover—Swiatek sat with a towel on her face, and as she lowered it, the Pole was seen wiping away tears.
After the match, she acknowledged the mental and physical disconnect. The World No.2 said, “Today, for sure, everything collapsed tennis-wise. I feel like I wasn’t even in the right place with my feet before the shots. I wish I would have moved better because I think that would give me an opportunity to bounce back.”
Iga Swiatek will try to regroup and reset before the Italian Open, where she is the defending champion. Coco Gauff will aim to carry her form into Saturday’s final. She is now one win away from claiming her first title of the 2025 season. The American awaits the winner of the second semifinal between World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and No.17 seed Elina Svitolina. Could Gauff vs. Swiatek be the rivalry that defines the next decade of women’s tennis? What do you think?
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