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Iga Swiatek Gives Coco Gauff Frosty Handshake After Loss

Tennis fans on social media are calling out Iga Swiatek for her unenthusiastic handshake with Coco Gauff.
Pat Benson|
Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff shake hands after their match at the United Cup.
Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff shake hands after their match at the United Cup. | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The United Cup has delivered plenty of thrilling tennis for the week of the new season. One of the highlights came last night when Coco Gauff defeated Iga Swiatek in straight sets: 6-4, 6-2.

Gauff's victory evened the semifinal showdown between the United States and Poland. After Taylor Fritz's loss and Gauff's win, a mixed-doubles match will determine who will face Switzerland in Sunday's final.

But of course, this would not be tennis without some extra drama sprinkled on top of the match. We have our first frosty handshake of 2026, courtesy of a disappointed Swiatek. Check out the social media video posted by TennisTV below.

On a scale of 1-10, this half-hearted handshake lands evenly at a 5. It was not disrespectful, and there was no ill will or trash talk. However, it was pretty unenthusiastic, closer to a Qinwen Zheng-caliber handshake.

As noted on Tennis Reddit, Swiatek now has a 3-8 record against top-five players since her 2024 French Open title. Four of the losses have been straight-set defeats at the hands of Gauff. So, Swiatek's frustration has to be with her struggles against the American star. Yet, she still has an 11-5 record against Gauff in head-to-head matches.

"I didn't the let the opportunities that I had on the first two times I had match points get away from me," said Gauff in her on-court interview. "She played well. Maybe there was one error on the backhand, but after that, she played the better tennis, but I knew that how I was playing the whole match, I would get it done."

Currently, Swiatek is the WTA World No. 2 and Gauff is the World No. 4. Earlier this week, American Amanda Anisimova jumped over Gauff in the WTA Rankings to take a slight lead as World No. 3.

With the 2026 Australian Open quickly approaching, there is a good chance we see Swiatek and Gauff meet later in the first Grand Slam of the year.

Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis style news from the court and beyond.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers professional tennis for Serve on Sports Illustrated, reporting on ATP and WTA events worldwide. From Challenger tournaments to Grand Slams, he brings readers in-depth coverage, daily recaps, and exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in the sport. With a decade of experience in sports journalism, Pat is recognized as a trusted voice in tennis media. You can contact him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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