French Open 2023 results: Iga Swiatek will face Coco Gauff in quarter-finals

On her return to Roland Garros, a year on from her maiden Grand Slam singles final, Gauff said there was "no point in revisiting" last year's 6-1 6-3 defeat by Swiatek.

Instead, she preferred to "reset" rather than "dwell" on the experience.

What she learned from that loss - from mental and tactical perspectives - might become apparent when she meets world number one Swiatek again.

Gauff has been far from convincing so far in this year's tournament, twice fighting back from a set down in previous rounds, and also coming through difficult moments against 100th-ranked Schmiedlova.

A strong start saw Gauff move into a 5-2 lead but she became tight trying to close out the first set, Schmiedlova fighting back to 5-5 before Gauff finally wrapped it up.

Gauff also relinquished an early break in the second set and, after digging deep to hold for 2-2, won the final four games to reach the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the third successive year.

There was more edginess in the final game, however, with back-to-back double faults creating two break points for Schmiedlova.

Gauff showed her resolve to recover but will know the biggest test of where her game is will come against Swiatek on Wednesday.

"I'm the type of mentality, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best," said Gauff. "I think also, if you want to improve, you have to play the best.

"The way my career has gone so far, if I see a level, and if I'm not quite there at that level, I know I have to improve. I think it would be almost cowardly to say that I want to not face the noise and not face the challenge, but I think that I'm up for it.

"I have improved a lot since last year, and she has too. I think it would be a great battle for us and for the fans too."

Swiatek, 22, has only dropped nine games in her opening four matches, an impressive statistic boosted by 34-year-old Tsurenko's early retirement.

After racing into a 4-0 lead, Swiatek's progress was checked by Tsurenko clawing a break back before there was a lengthy stoppage when the Ukrainian called a doctor onto court.

Tsurenko - who pulled out of a match against Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka because of a panic attack in March - indicated she was struggling to breathe and had her blood pressure taken.

The world number 66 returned to court but lasted only one more game, allowing Swiatek to progress with an earlier than expected finish.

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