Iga Swiatek closes in on fourth French Open crown after brushing aside Coco Gauff

Iga Swiatek took a big step towards securing a fourth French Open crown after sweeping aside the challenge of Coco Gauff in straight-sets in their semi-final at a sun-drenched Court Philippe-Chatrier on Thursday.

The world No 1 has been in imperious form since nearly being knocked out of the tournament by fellow four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka after a thrilling 7-6, 1-6, 7-5 battle in the second round.

In the following two matches, Switatek dropped just two games – including inflicting a double bagel on Anastasia Potapova – but was expecting a tough test against the reigning US Open champion.

But the relentless Pole dominated from the start, extending her dominance over Gauff by sealing an 11th victory in 12 meetings and will head into a Saturday showdown against 12th seed Jasmine Paolini after the Italian trounced 17-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-1.

Swiatek career win-loss record at Roland Garros now stands at a staggering 34-2, while she is on a 20-match winning streak at the event, and could become only the fourth woman to win four French Open titles in the Open era – after Justine Henin, Chris Evert and Steffi Graf.

The 23-year-old is also on track to join Serena Williams as the only women to complete the treble of French, Madrid and Rome Open titles in the same year.

“It was intense. In the second set it was right because we were breaking each other,” said Swiatek who is looking to win a third successive title at Roland Garros after her 6-2 6-4 win. “I was consistent with my tactics and went for it.

The 2022 final rematch between Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek took center stage.

Highlights by @emirates#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/8Gx13Nh2Eu

“I think she [Gauff] is progressing a lot, you can see by her