Coco Gauff relishing Iga Swiatek semi-final in Dubai, plans to 'go out there swinging and believing' against world No. 1

24.02.2023 - 13:13 eurosport.com

Coco Gauff plans to “go out there swinging” and “believing” she can win when she faces red-hot world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships semi-finals.

Swiatek has been in stunning form over the last two weeks, winning the Qatar Open for the loss of just five games and crushing Leylah Fernandez and Liudmila Samsonova so far in Dubai.

Ad She has won all five previous meetings in straight sets against Gauff, including at last year’s WTA Finals and the 2022 French Open final.

Australian OpenDominant Djokovic destroys De Minaur in straight sets to set up Rublev clash23/01/2023 AT 08:38 But Gauff is not dwelling on the one-sided head-to-head record. “All five times, I did something wrong!” she said ahead of her sixth meeting with Swiatek on Friday. “To be honest, she's playing great tennis and there's a reason she's world No.1.

tennis Semi-final 1 Iga Swiatek Karolina Pliskova Qatar France Usa Australia Dubai

Top seeds Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek eased into the Indian Wells quarter-finals on cue on Tuesday as in-form Daniil Medvedev defied injury in a wild three-set win over Alexander Zverev. Alcaraz, the world number two who can regain the top ranking with a win this week, had a short night's work on Stadium Court as Britain's Jack Draper retired with an abdominal injury with the Spaniard up 6-2, 2-0. World number one Swiatek, meanwhile, had the last word in most of the long rallies as she powered past 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu 6-3, 6-1.

Defending champion Iga Swiatek off to fast start at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS: World number one Iga Swiatek launched her bid for a rare Indian Wells repeat with a convincing 6-0, 6-1 victory over 56th-ranked American Claire Liu on Saturday. Neither Liu nor the breezy conditions on Stadium Court troubled Swiatek, who is seeking to become just the second woman — after Martina Navratilova in 1990-91 — to sucessfully defend her title at the prestigious combined WTA and ATP Masters 1000 hard court tournament. Swiatek roared through the first set, winning 25 of 32 points.

Iga Swiatek may not dominate tennis like Serena Williams or Steffi Graf, reckons Mats Wilander

Iga Swiatek may not dominate tennis like legends of the game Serena Williams or Steffi Graf, believes Mats Wilander, as he highlighted a style of opponent that is causing the world No. 1 problems.

Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur aim to get back on track at Indian Wells

They were the two standout players on the WTA Tour last season, featuring in three of the four Grand Slam finals between them, leading the rankings, and amassing more match wins than anyone else.

Iga Swiatek says expectation on her has risen ahead of Indian Wells - 'A target on my back'

Iga Swiatek says there is a «target on her back» ahead of Indian Wells this year and admits she is feeling more pressure heading into the tournament than in previous editions. The Pole enjoyed a remarkable 2022 where she won a total of eight titles, including two of the four Grand Slams, and went on a 37-match winning streak. Last April she became world No.

Iga Swiatek: Will world No. 1 become first repeat WTA winner at Indian Wells since Martina Navratilova in 1991?

Indian Wells is often regarded as the biggest tournament of the tennis season outside the Grand Slams and season-ending finals – so why has it been so unpredictable in recent years? On the men’s side there have been five different champions in the last five editions, including Taylor Fritz in 2022 and Cameron Norrie in 2021, and on the women’s side there has not been a repeat winner since Martina Navratilova won back-to-back titles in 1990 and 1991. Ad That’s the longest streak without a repeat champion at a WTA 1000.