A young phenom was no match for Iga Swiatek.
Swiatek, the top-ranked player in the world, defeated 18-year-old Coco Gauff in the French Open women's final 6-1, 6-3 on Saturday.
It is the second French Open title for the 21-year-old Swiatek, who also won the Grand Slam in 2020 at 19 years old. She now has 35 consecutive wins, the longest in women's tennis since Venus Williams's 35-match streak in 2000.
"Two years ago winning this title was something amazing," said Swiatek, who is from Poland. "Honestly, I wouldn't expect it ever. But this time, I feel like I worked hard and did everything to get here even though it was pretty tough. The pressure was big."
Swiatek made quick work of No. 18 Gauff, a Florida native attempting to become the youngest woman to win a Grand Slam since Maria Sharapova won at Wimbledon in 2004 at 17 years old. Gauff, the second youngest of the 128 players in the women's draw, entered the final having not dropped a set during the French Open, albeit while avoiding a top-30 player until the final.
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Swiatek jumped out to a 4-0 advantage before Gauff got on the board, following a shaky start, which included an early double fault. Swiatek attacked Gauff's forehand, leading to nine of Gauff's 14 unforced errors in the opening set.
Gauff took a 2-0 advantage in the second set before Swiatek won five games in a row to push championship point. She sealed it with a backhand, falling to the clay in celebration.
Swiatek’s last nine finals victories have come in straight sets. Her second Grand Slam title caps a dominant stretch in which she has won 56 of her last 58 sets, captured six consecutive titles and gone without a loss for 108 days.
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The victory brought an end to Gauff's thrilling Grand Slam run.
"Hopefully we can play each other in more finals and maybe I can get a win on you one of these days," Gauff said with a laugh after the match.
Added Swiatek: "You're progressing all the time basically. When I was your age, I had my first year on tour and I had no idea what [I was] doing. So, you will find it and you will be there, I'm pretty sure of that."
Gauff still has a chance to leave France with a trophy. She will compete in the women's doubles final with Jessica Pegula on Sunday against France's Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic. Gauff, a recent high school graduate, is the youngest woman to reach the women's singles and women's doubles finals at the same major since a 17-year-old Serena Williams won both events at the 1999 U.S. Open.
