Coco Gauff credits Cardi B for inspiration in finally beating Iga Swiatek

WATCH: Coco Gauff kept “telling myself you’re a warrior” in ending winless record vs. Iga Swiatek.

What was the catalyst for Coco Gauff's first-ever win over Iga Swiatek on Saturday in the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open?

An air-tight game plan? Yes, but no. Big serves at clutch moments? That too, but not quite.

The correct answer? An earworm, specifically a song by the American rapper Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus, known professionally as Cardi B.

“I saw a quote. ‘Knock me down nine times, get up 10.’ It’s a Cardi B song," Gauff told emcee Andrew Krasny in her on-court interview after her 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4 win. "So in this case, knock me down seven times, get up eight.”

After the match, Gauff told reporters that she was, in fact, mostly encouraged by her previous outing against Swiatek: a 6-4, 6-2 loss in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in June.

"I had what happened in French Open, and I really learned from that," she said. "The past, I feel like I was just in the match and she was just blowing me off the court. That time she did still, but it was a little bit better. Maybe that loss helped me today.

"I think my game plan didn't really change from French Open to now. It's just the execution was a lot better. That's what I needed to work on. I think strategy-wise, I know how to beat a lot of the players, but it's all about executing. I think that's just with anyone. I think most players know how to beat each other, but it's all about are you going to be able to do it in that moment."

In hr first WTA 1000 final, Gauff will face another woman Swiatek beat on her road to the trophy in Paris this year: Karolina Muchova. The Czech came from a set down in her own semifinal upset, a 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka.