No rivalry here: Ben Rothenberg blasts media's portrayal of Swiatek-Gauff matches

After Iga Swiatek defeated Coco Gauff in their Roland Garros semifinal showdown, the Polish star extended her lead over her American opponent in head to head meetings. Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg expressed his disappointment at fans and the media labeling their meetings as a rivalry.

Swiatek overcame Gauff in clinical fashion during their semifinal encounter, recording a 6-2 6-4 victory. This gave the World No.1 a 10-1 lead in career meetings against Gauff, with Swiatek winning all five encounters on clay.

Following the match, Swiatek was asked about Gauff's progress. The defending champion responded by praising her 20-year old opponent, stating she was looking forward to more intense battles against the American in the future.

However, Rothenberg expressed his displeasure at the manner in which the media has been handling the encounters between both ladies. He stated the media was downplaying Swiatek's dominance in the rivalry, which is reflected in their head to head meetings.

"Wilander asking Swiatek what progress Gauff is making when Gauff is 1-11 against her shows how tennis media is sugarcoating this. All 11 wins for Swiatek were in straights, and only one tiebreak in those 22 sets, even. This is considerably more lopsided than Serena-Sharapova," he wrote on Twitter.

Serena Williams faced Maria Sharapova 22 times in her illustrious career on the WTA, with the American recording a 21-1 head to head record against her Russian opponent.