Coco Gauff is not new to digging deep. And she had to do just that in Madrid on Wednesday, coming through a shaky first set against Mirra Andreeva before cruising through the second. The American won 7-5, 6-1 in a battle between the two youngest players in the WTA Top 10. That kind of clutch performance in key moments has become a Gauff trademark. She may be only 21, but she’s been around long enough to know how to stay cool when the pressure’s on. So what’s her secret?

Andreeva, who turned 18 just a day earlier, had been on a tear. She’d beaten five Top 10 players in a row before facing Gauff. When the Russian held two set points at 5-3 in the opener, it looked like she might make it six. But Gauff wasn’t having it.

From 3-5 down, the American turned the match on its head. She saved both set points, broke back to level at 5-all, and didn’t stop there. The American went on to win eight games in a row, racing to a 7-5, 5-0 lead. By the time it ended, the numbers told the story: 18 winners to Andreeva’s 15, and just 22 unforced errors compared to Andreeva’s 28.

After the match, she spoke to Tennis Channel and explained how she keeps her nerves in check while playing the big matches. The 21-year-old said,  “I think these moments you feel like, okay, you did all this work to get so far, you kind of want to get and finish it and get the trophy at the end — but also keeping in perspective that it’s a long way till that.” 

She further revealed, “I think I learned the first moment I lost the final of the French Open, and I felt like I would be too overwhelmed with the moment, and I was like, I’m never going to let myself do that again, and just minimize it as much as possible. So ever since then, I feel like when I get into these finals or semis, I don’t go out there nervous. I go out there playing my game, and if I lose, it’s not because I’m nervous — it just wasn’t my day that day.”

That “first moment” was back in 2022, when Gauff reached her first Grand Slam final at the French Open. She was just 18 then, and hadn’t lost a single set en route to the final. She had beaten seasoned opponents, including fellow American Sloane Stephens and Martina Trevisan in the semifinals. But the final against Iga Swiatek didn’t go her way. Gauff struggled with nerves, and Swiatek, then 21, was simply too good. The Pole won 6-1, 6-3 and lifted the trophy, while the World No. 4 took home a tough lesson.

One year later, Gauff was the one holding a Grand Slam trophy. At the 2023 US Open, she fought back from a set down to defeat Aryna Sabalenka 2–6, 6–3, 6–2 and claim her maiden Slam. Since then, she’s been building on that momentum. And now she’s searching for her first title of the 2025 season in the red dirt.

Coco Gauff sets up an exciting semi-final clash with Iga Swiatek

Wednesday’s win over Andreeva marks Coco Gauff’s first semifinal of the 2025 season. She had previously fallen in the quarters at both the Australian Open and Stuttgart. Now, the stage is set for a blockbuster semifinal: Coco Gauff vs Iga Swiatek. The Pole earned her spot in the semifinals with a gritty comeback of her own. After losing the first set 0-6 to Madison Keys, she regrouped and bounced back 6-3, 6-2 to keep her title hopes alive.

This will be their 15th meeting, and the third time they face off in a WTA 1000 clay-court semifinal. The previous two, both in Rome, went Swiatek’s way. So far, Swiatek leads their head-to-head 11-3. On clay, it’s a clean sweep—5-0 to the world No. 2. But things have shifted recently. Gauff has won their last two encounters, both on hard courts and both in straight sets—6-3, 6-4 at the WTA Finals last year, and 6-4, 6-4 at the United Cup earlier this year.

Thursday’s semifinal promises fireworks. Gauff has now reached her ninth WTA 1000 semifinal, and third on clay. She also becomes the second-youngest player to make the semis at both Madrid and Rome. The only one to do it younger? Caroline Wozniacki, who was still 20 at the time. Awaiting the winner of Gauff vs Swiatek will be either Aryna Sabalenka or Elina Svitolina in the final. With this trio of names in the mix, the Madrid Open is heating up fast.

Coco Gauff has never beaten Iga Swiatek on clay, but she’s never looked more ready. Can she flip the script this time? What do you think?