By Tony Fairbairn
- Iga Swiatek [1] v Coco Gauff [3]
- Aryna Sabalenka [2] v Danielle Collins [13]
ROME, ITALY – Iga Swiatek aims to set a Madrid final rematch with Aryna Sabalenka as the world number one takes on Coco Gauff in the Rome semi-finals.
 |
|---|
Iga Swiatek [1] v Coco Gauff [3] | H2H: Swiatek leads 9-1
Iga Swiatek’s clay court dominance has continued in Rome as she is yet to lose a set at the Foro Italico this week, continuing her impressive form from Madrid last week. Now Swiatek aims to be one step close from holding the three biggest clay court titles in the world as she looks for an eleventh consecutive victory. Standing in Swiatek’s way of the final is Coco Gauff who has produced an impressive week herself and has overcome poor form in order to gain momentum ahead of Roland Garros.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Iga Swiatek [1] v Coco Gauff [3] | H2H: Swiatek leads 9-1 |
| Rome 2024 | Rome, Italy |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €192,405 |
| Second on Center Court (Not before 14:00 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Swiatek’s clay court dominance has continued in Rome as it’s now ten consecutive victories after continuing her momentum from Madrid, where she won the title.
The world number one now aims for a third Rome title as she aims to hold the three biggest titles on clay, cementing her status as favourite for the Roland Garros title.
Next for Swiatek is Gauff who has had a much-needed run to the semi-finals having arrived in Rome with underwhelming form, falling way short of her very high standards.
Gauff will be hoping to break her curse against the Pole as she looks for a first Rome final as well as making a huge statement ahead of Roland Garros.
Speaking ahead of the semi-finals, Swiatek spoke about being humble and not being carried away after winning ten consecutive matches.
“I’m a perfectionist, but it’s impossible to play perfect tennis, so you have to be humble and not take anything for granted,” Swiatek explained to Eurosport.
“This year has been pretty good for me, so I don’t have to chase anything. We’re changing locations every week, the tour is intense. I’m really enjoying this.”
Meanwhile Gauff spoke about feeling like a new player after her quarter-final win over Qinwen Zheng.
“It feels like a new start for me,” Gauff told the WTA website.
“This is my first time playing her on clay since Roland Garros last year. I feel like a different player. I’m coming into these matches with a lot of confidence. If I can go into the match playing like I did tonight [against Zheng], win or lose, I think I have a lot to be proud of.”
Swiatek will be aggressive on serve, using the forehand to dictate play on the baseline as she aims to force Gauff into passive shots.
Meanwhile Gauff will need to have a fast start as she looks to be consistent on serve and efficient with her backhand return.
A good start for Gauff could put Swiatek under early pressure but in any case the world number one should have too much quality in order to bounce back and reach another Rome final.
Prediction: Swiatek in straight sets.
 |
|---|
Aryna Sabalenka [2] v Danielle Collins [13] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 5-0
Aryna Sabalenka’s rejuvenated form has continued in Rome as she is into the semi-finals in Italy. The world number two narrowly missed out on a second consecutive Madrid title but that hasn’t stopped the Australian Open champion’s momentum as she bids for a maiden title in Rome. The next obstacle for Sabalenka is the confident Danielle Collins with the American continuing her dream farewell tour with another semi-final this season after defeating Victoria Azarenka.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Aryna Sabalenka [2] v Danielle Collins [13] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 5-0 |
| Rome 2024 | Rome, Italy |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €192,405 |
| Fourth on Center Court (Not before 19:30 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Sabalenka has continued her rejuvenated form in Rome having survived a thrilling match against Elina Svitolina before knocking out Jelena Ostapenko in order to reach the semi-finals.
Now Sabalenka aims to set up a final rematch with Swiatek as she bids for a first title in the Italian capital.
Standing in Sabalenka’s way is Collins who has continued her dream farewell tour in Rome as she is into a third semi-final of the season.
Now Collins looks for a second WTA 1000 title of the year as she looks to end her career on a high note.
Speaking ahead of the semi-final Sabalenka spoke about overcoming injury doubts to defeat Ostapenko and how she’s been able to carry the momentum from Madrid to Rome.
“I was testing my body on the warmup and I felt, `OK, I’m probably going to go on the court and play,’” Sabalenka told the WTA website.
“And I’m super happy I was able to play without pain today. Hopefully, with every day I will feel better and better. I would definitely say that was the best performance of the tournament.
“Lots of positives from Madrid. I fought myself back. I found my game. I bring everything back together and start playing on high level. Yeah, I’m super happy to be back in Rome, one of my favorite tournaments. Madrid was tough. Still happy with those couple of weeks and looking forward for here.”
Meanwhile Collins has denied playing after this season and is determined to exit the sport with a ‘bang.’
“I’m going out with a bang,” Collins stated to the WTA website.
“I want to go out playing my best tennis because I certainly wouldn’t want to go out playing my worst tennis. That does happen sometimes, unfortunately. It’s important for me to feel like I got everything I could out of myself as an athlete.
“It’s super rewarding because you go through periods where you might take three steps forward and four steps back some weeks. It’s kind of like the stock market. It’s really up and down sometimes.
“So it’s been nice to have a stretch when I’ve just been climbing, because it’s not always like that. You have to be really happy for yourself in these moments because it doesn’t always work out that way.”
Sabalenka will aim to dictate on serve using the forehand in order to rush Collins’ defensive shot-making.
As for Collins, the American will aim to cause Sabalenka problems on the backhand as she uses the drop-shot in order to move Sabalenka away from the baseline.
This will be a tough test for Sabalenka but just like the previous five times the world number two should edge to victory in order to set up a Madrid rematch with Swiatek.
Prediction: Sabalenka in three sets.
How to Watch/Follow Rome 2024
| Live Stream | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
| Live Scores | Tennis Scores Powered By TNNSLIVE |
 Sign up to PBLC for free to support ongoing contributions from Britwatch Sports |
|---|
| Follow Britwatch - Sport in General, Brits in Particular! | |
|---|---|
| Soundcloud | |
| YouTube | |
| We may receive compensation for products purchased via affiliate links on this website | |