Even though the USA bowed out of the 2026 United Cup after falling short in mixed doubles, Coco Gauff was the clear standout of the tournament. Her 6–4, 6–2 win against Swiatek pulled the USA level against Poland heading into the mixed doubles decider. And after a performance like that, Swiatek couldn’t hide her emotions for Gauff.

“I feel like Coco has improved stuff. It’s quite visible,” Swiatek said during the post-game press conference. “The matches we played a couple of years back were most of them were kind of one-sided. I feel like that’s it. She’s also growing in age, more experienced as well. So yeah, she’s been a top player for many years now, even though she started with she was, like, 16, much earlier than most of us do. Yeah, congrats to her basically.”

That’s some glowing feedback the 21-year-old can get from a more experienced player.

That’s what makes Gauff’s run so insane. Beating someone like Iga Swiatek once is hard enough—doing it four times in a row, all in straight sets, is almost unheard of. Swiatek has been one of the most dominant forces in women’s tennis, with long winning streaks all over her résumé. The biggest? A ridiculous 37-match win streak in 2022, the longest on the WTA Tour this century.

Swiatek legit dominates. Straight-set victories, Grand Slam titles, and total control, especially on clay, have defined her career. That’s why putting together any kind of sustained dominance against her is brutally difficult. In fact, the only other player to beat Swiatek four times in a row is Jelena Ostapenko. But the problem is that some of those wins went to three sets. Gauff is the only one to do it clean, straight sets every time.

Early on, this rivalry was completely one-sided. Swiatek won the first 11 meetings, all but one in straight sets. As a four-time French Open champion, she was especially ruthless on clay, where a young Gauff struggled to match her consistency and power. At the time, Gauff was still a teenager, figuring out life on tour, and openly admitted her game wasn’t fully there yet.

Those losses stacked up and became mental, too. Gauff even joked that she didn’t want her record against Swiatek to turn into something like Gael Monfils’ infamous 0–20 mark against Novak Djokovic.

Coco Gauff is paying her respects

A player like Coco Gauff never forgets to pay respect to a worthy opponent like Swiatek.

“I didn’t let the opportunities that I had on the first two match points get away from me. She played well,” Gauff said about Ika. “Maybe there was one error on the backhand. But after that, she played better tennis. But I knew how I was playing the whole match that I’d get it done.”

It doesn’t get more real than that. Gauff stayed composed when it mattered most, first when Swiatek clawed back from 4–1 down to level the opening set. And then again in the second, when Swiatek fought to avoid the bagel. That mental edge made all the difference. Under pressure, Swiatek sprayed balls long and wide, especially during extended deuce games, and Gauff made her pay with clutch breaks.

Top Stories

Novak Djokovic Faces Roadblock as He Won’t Be Able to Represent Serbia After Australian Open

Carlos Alcaraz Left Speechless After Young Fan Outsmarts Him in Seoul Exhibition Against Jannik Sinner

Coco Gauff’s Efforts Go in Vain as Iga Swiatek-Led Team Break American Hopes at the United Cup

United Cup Exit Deals Taylor Fritz a Costly Australian Open Setback as Ben Shelton Surges

Now, all eyes turn to Melbourne. After a strong United Cup showing, Gauff heads into the Australian Open. It starts on January 18, 2026, full of confidence. The season’s first Grand Slam is next on the calendar, and as the world No. 4, Gauff looks every bit like a legit title threat. And now, especially after taking down the world No. 2 in such convincing fashion.