French Open, semi-final, Thursday, 06.06.2024
The number 1 in the world meets the number 3 – that would have been a nice final! The first women’s semi-final at the French Open is a real cracker.
But although both players are absolutely world class, one is miles ahead of the other.
In my Swiatek Gauff tip, I’ll tell you why a defeat for the Polish player is virtually impossible and why I’m also backing a 2-0 win for the favorite
Iga Swiatek – and then what? This has been the only question in the women’s competition for years. Wherever the 23-year-old appears, she always takes on the role of the absolute title favorite!
She is particularly popular at the French Open. No wonder, as she is the double defending champion here, won the trophy in 2020, 2022 and 2023 and plays on her absolute favorite surface.
The preparation for the Major? It went just as you would expect as the world number one. Madrid and Rome went to Swiatek, even Aryna Sabalenka didn’t stand a chance in the finals.
So it’s no surprise that the Polish player is the measure of all things in the French capital. Lost sets? In fact, Swiatek really faltered once in her 7-6, 1-6, 7-5 defeat to Naomi Osaka in the second round
She had recovered in no time at all, having already eliminated Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2 in round 1. The other results in quick succession: 6-1, 6-2 against Leolia Jeanjean, 6-0, 6-0 against Anastasija Potapova and 6-0, 6-2 against Markete Vondrousova.
Swiatek is used to not just beating her opponents, but literally sweeping them off the court. While Osaka was able to get five breaks, the world No. 1 only conceded three in all her other matches.
94% and 85% won points on her first serve, and in the last two matches her service was particularly strong. The competition only has a chance against Swiatek if the Polish player has a really bad day.
How often has she done that against Coco Gauff in her career so far? Exactly once, because Swiatek leads 10:1 in the direct comparison! A total of five duels took place in 2023, and there was at least one small surprise here
The two have already faced each other once in the current calendar year, with Swiatek quickly moving on 6-4, 6-3 in Rome. Incidentally, this match also took place exactly one year ago at the French Open, when the favorite won 6-4, 6-2.
Whichever way you look at it, there seems to be no way around Swiatek again this time. Our bookmakers see it the same way, sending the Polish player into the race with average odds of 1.10 to 6.00.
Incredible odds that her compatriots cannot hope for at the European Football Championship, which starts shortly. The Poles are taking part in the tournament, but appear to be nothing more than a drop-fruit in Group D. You can find everything you need to know about the European Championship and the best bonus offers here!
Coco Gauff of course knows that Iga Swiatek is virtually impossible to beat on a normal day. She needs an absolute cream day, she definitely has to play better than she did in the quarter-finals.
She beat Ons Jabeur 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, giving her opponent the chance to break a total of eight times. It was her first and only set loss, before that the 20-year-old showed no weaknesses.
Her results: 6-1, 6-1 against Julija Awdejewa, 6-3, 6-4 against Tamara Zidansek, 6-2, 6-4 against Dajana Jastremska and 6-1, 6-2 against Elisabetta Cocchiaretto. The only top opponent was without doubt Ons Jabeur.
The young American produced 23 double faults over the course of the tournament, and against Swiatek you can’t afford such lapses in concentration. The Polish player herself only made four mistakes in the entire tournament.
Gauff, who won the US Open in her home country a few months ago, already likes Roland Garros in principle, she reached the final here in 2022 and has always been at least in the top eight since 2021
My Swiatek Gauff tip
Does Iga Swiatek once again decide on her own how quickly a match is over? Once again, the Polish player seems unbeatable and remains the absolute measure of all finesse in the women’s competition.
In Paris, she is going from victory to victory. Coco Gauff played against a top opponent for the first time in the quarter-finals and promptly lost the first set. As Swiatek almost always wins against Gauff, and usually easily, I can only guess:
Swiatek wins 2:0 against Gauff!
