👋 Welcome back to The Daily Theory, our morning rundown to help you stay on top of your favorite sport. I’m Allen McDuffee, your guide to all things tennis.

On tap today: Coco Gauff knocked it out of the park, Iga Swiatek took it pretty hard, Aryna Sabalenka is just glad people stayed, Casper Ruud faces Francisco Cerundolo, Jack Draper takes on Lorenzo Musetti, plus more in today’s tennis news.

Let’s tennis!

Three Points

🎾 A first: Coco Gauff delivered a blistering defeat to Iga Swiatek on Thursday, with a final scoreline of 6-1, 6-1. The match was a combination of Gauff seemingly unable to do anything wrong and Swiatek seemingly unable to do anything right. That dichotomy allowed Gauff to defeat Swiatek for the first time on clay.

  • What she said: “I was aggressive and I played with margin,” Gauff said during her on-court interview. “Maybe her level wasn’t her best, but I think I forced her into some awkward positions.” She added: “When you’re playing someone like Iga, at any moment she can come back and play great tennis. So for me, it was just making sure my level stayed the same.”
  • Next: On Saturday, Gauff faces Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Elina Svitolina in the other semifinal.

🎾 A rough day at the office: On the other side of the net was Iga Swiatek, who could never seem to get going in the match, collecting 28 unforced errors in just 14 games. All of it took a mental toll as the match wore on, and she became visibly emotional in the second set, covering her head with a towel as she broke down in tears during the changeover at 6-1, 3-0.

  • What she said: “Coco played good, but I think it’s, you know, on me that I didn’t move well,” Swiatek said after the match. “I wasn’t ready to play back the shots with heaviness, and, yeah, with that kind of game, like, yeah, it was pretty bad.”
  • An outside voice of encouragement: On X, Casper Ruud quoted a video clip of the moment and wrote: “Hey @iga_swiatek keep your head up🙏🙏 Like millions of other people I love watching you play. Not your day today, but you inspire so many and you’ll be back stronger than ever!!😊🤩👏🎾

🎾 A new beginning: The International Tennis Hall of Fame Open put tickets on sale Thursday. This year will be a new version of the event, going from an ATP 250 to a combined ATP/WTA 125 event competing for equal prize money. This marks the first year women’s pro tennis will be played in Newport since 1990.

  • When: July 6-13, 2025, the second week of Wimbledon. The plan is that this will become a super Challenger like the tours have been experimenting with during the second week of 1000-level tournaments. It’s aimed at top players who bow out early to compete against solid Challenger players.
  • Who’s playing: It’s a bit early for player announcements. In promo materials, Marcos Giron, Chris Eubanks, Ajla Tomljanovic, Katie Volynets, and Alycia Parks, among others are pictured.