Coco Gauff is steadily moving toward her dream of winning the second grand slam of her career. The reigning U.S. Open champion, who produced an incredible feat against Elisabetta Cocciaretto in her latest match, has already secured a place in the quarterfinals in Paris. While the tennis world now anticipates her upcoming match with Ons Jabeur, John McEnroe’s brother, Patrick McEnroe, highlights another of her possible clashes with Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros. Exuding confidence in the American player’s current form on-court, McEnroe describes who the “underdog” of that likely match will be.

The former caption of U.S. Davis Cup team, Patrick McEnroe, recently appeared for a virtual interview in the “Morning in America” episode of News Nation, where he gave his analysis of the ongoing French Open tournament. The host of the show asked him about the men’s and women’s sides of the game. “Do you see a deep run on either side?” 

The former American tennis pro said, “Well, there is a much better chance on the women’s side with Coco Gauff. She just won her match earlier today. She is on a collision course with the dominant player in women’s tennis.” Further continuing, the 57-year-old former player added, “if she wins her next match, which will likely be against Ons Jabeur, she would then face Swiatek, likely in the semifinals. She would be the underdog in that one, but she is playing well.” 

Coco Gauff’s thrilling encounter with Swiatek has been a source of excitement for fans and tennis experts alike. But sadly, their head-to-head statistics paint a different picture. With Swiatek leading by 10-1, surprisingly, the 20-year-old has never won against Swiatek on clay. Even during their latest encounter in Rome this season resulted in the world No. 1’s swift victory by 6-4, 6-3. On top of that, fans also remember the last time Gauff faced Swiatek on-court in 2023.

The quarterfinal match ended with the now-World No. 3 losing in straight sets against the Pole. Therefore, the stakes are even higher this year as Gauff gears up to reach the semifinals this season. And McEnroe also knows it very well, as he further stated, “But Iga Swiatek not only is number 1 but is utterly dominant on the red clay, which is here at Roland Garros. She won this title three times.” Coco Gauff agrees too, as she previously revealed in Rome.

Coco Gauff considers Swiatek to be “a tough opponent to play, especially on clay”

When Coco Gauff was about to face the 22-year-old in Rome, she was asked about how she will tackle the number one WTA player on clay. Gauff responded by saying, “I can’t tell you 😂. She is a tough opponent to play, especially on clay. There’s a reason why she’s #1. But I feel like I’m getting better with each match. I’m really excited to play the semifinal.”

But sadly, she fell short in the match against Swiatek, as they finished their 11th encounter on-court within 1 hour and 47 minutes. But Coco Gauff didn’t lose morale. “I would say from just this match, I feel more negative emotions right now. Looking at the whole tournament from where I started to now, I definitely feel like it’s major improvement.”

Gauff, who further added how she could’ve won against anyone in Swiatek’s place that day, also explained the reasons behind her defeat. “I wanted to be aggressive, which I felt like I did. I think I missed some balls in some clutch moments. That’s what being aggressive is. I think if I continue to play in this way, I will be more consistent in that.”

Coco Gauff’s current focus is on her quarterfinal match, which is scheduled for tomorrow. But will she be able to qualify for the semifinal this year and tackle Swiatek? Only time will tell.