The 2025 Madrid Open semifinal delivered a shocking upset as Coco Gauff dismantled defending champion Iga Swiatek in a 6-1, 6-1 rout, leaving the tennis world stunned and Swiatek visibly shaken. The 64-minute thrashing at the Caja Magica marked one of the most lopsided defeats of Swiatek’s career, her worst on clay since a 2019 French Open loss to Simona Halep. In a raw and honest post-match press conference, the world No. 2 laid bare her struggles, admitting that her performance was “pretty bad” and that she lacked the tools to counter Gauff’s relentless aggression. The defeat, which ended Swiatek’s title defense and her nine-match winning streak in Madrid, exposed vulnerabilities in a season already marked by inconsistency, prompting a poignant reflection from the five-time Grand Slam champion.
Swiatek’s unraveling was evident from the opening game. Gauff, wielding a newfound confidence on clay, broke Swiatek’s serve three times in the first set and twice in the second, capitalizing on the Pole’s 28 unforced errors, including 21 on her forehand. Swiatek, typically a clay-court juggernaut, won just 35% of her first-serve points and failed to generate a single break point, a stark contrast to her usual dominance. “I couldn’t really get my level up,” she confessed. “Coco played good, but I think it’s on me that I didn’t move well, I wasn’t ready to play back the shots with heaviness.” Her frustration boiled over early in the second set when, trailing 2-0, she shouted toward her player box, earning a rare code violation for an audible obscenity—a moment that underscored her mental turmoil.
The emotional weight of the loss was palpable. At the 3-0 changeover in the second set, Swiatek draped a towel over her head, fighting back tears as the reality of the deficit sank in. “For sure, I feel like I haven’t been moving well and the tennis also was like on and off for most of the tournament,” she said, reflecting on her inconsistent play. Unlike her quarterfinal against Madison Keys, where she rebounded from a 6-0 first-set loss to win in three sets, Swiatek found no answers against Gauff. “I didn’t even have a plan B because nothing was working today,” she admitted, highlighting a tactical void that left her exposed. The defeat marked her sixth consecutive semifinal loss, with no finals reached since her fourth French Open title in June 2024.
Swiatek’s struggles in Madrid were not isolated. Her 2025 season, while boasting a 26-8 record, has been title-less, a sharp departure from her 2024 clay-court dominance, where she posted a 21-1 record and won Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros. Earlier in the tournament, she dropped sets to Alexandra Eala and Diana Shnaider, and her forehand, once a weapon, has become a liability. “I’ve been forcing myself to go lower, to be more precise with my feet, because it’s not going by itself,” she explained, pinpointing a loss of instinctiveness. Asked whether the loss was a one-off or part of a broader dip, Swiatek was uncertain: “Honestly, I don’t know now. Hopefully one day it’s going to click, but I’m not expecting anything.”
Gauff’s performance, by contrast, was a masterclass in aggression and precision. The 21-year-old American, who had never beaten Swiatek on clay, broke a 5-0 deficit on the surface with a display that included seven aces, 18 winners, and just eight unforced errors. “I was aggressive and played with margin,” Gauff said on court. “Maybe it wasn’t her best level, but I think I forced her into some awkward positions.” Her victory, which followed wins over Swiatek at the 2024 WTA Finals and 2025 United Cup, narrowed their head-to-head to 11-4 and propelled her into her first Madrid Open final against Aryna Sabalenka. A title would see Gauff overtake Swiatek for the No. 2 ranking.
For Swiatek, the loss adds pressure as she heads to the Italian Open, where she is the defending champion, and Roland Garros, her stronghold. “I’m not a different player than I was in past years in terms of my attitude or my emotions,” she insisted, rejecting suggestions that her outburst signaled a shift in mindset. Yet, her candid admission of feeling “like everything collapsed” against Gauff reveals the depth of her current challenges. The tennis world, including ATP star Casper Ruud, rallied behind her, with Ruud posting a heartfelt message of encouragement, praising her as an inspiration. As Swiatek takes time to regroup, her focus is on rediscovering the fluidity that made her untouchable on clay, with the hope that her next click will restore her to the pinnacle of the sport.
Leave a Reply