Gauff Reaches US Open Quarter-Finals for First Time Since 2023 Title

11:11 PM ETDeveloping

Sports Desk

In Short: NEW YORK - Coco Gauff secured her place in the US Open quarter-finals with a dominant 6-1, 6-4 win over Iva Jovic, marking her first appearance since 2023.

NEW YORK - Coco Gauff secured her place in the US Open quarter-finals with a dominant 6-1, 6-4 win over Iva Jovic, marking her first appearance since 2023. The match, which saw Gauff find her finest level, came after a physical start with both players exchanging breaks of serve in the opening games.

The pair immediately put each other under pressure in a physical start to the match, exchanging breaks of serve as the opening three games consisted of 24 points and stretched over 17 minutes. Gauff, however, won 13 of the final 15 points to wrap up the opening set in 33 minutes, showing signs of the emotional energy which Jovic exerted in her previous victory.

Despite the strong record against Andreeva, Gauff noted that most of the matches have been close. She will face French Open champion Mirra Andreeva for a place in the semis, a match that Gauff described as a serious test. Gauff said, 'She's obviously in a different mindset now, at the top of the game, coming off a Grand Slam win.

The US Open quarter-final line-up is stacked with five Grand Slam winners, including Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Zheng Qinwen. Rybakina, a two-time Grand Slam champion, swept aside two-time champion Naomi Osaka to also reach the quarter-finals, and is one win away from becoming world number one for the first time. Zheng Qinwen also reached the quarter-finals with a victory over Iga Swiatek.

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Fourth seed Gauff found her finest level of the fortnight to beat fellow American Jovic in a 6-1 6-4 win and secure her place in the quarter-finals.
"Iva is an incredible player and an incredible talent, she plays beyond her years," said Gauff.
Gauff's comfortable progress ensured the top six seeds have reached the US Open women's last eight for the first time since 1998, further illustrating the strength in depth at the top of the WTA Tour.
"It's one of those tournaments where anyone can take it from here." Zheng wins set from 5-0 down again to stun Swiatek Jovic is already ranked well inside the top 20 and predicted for even greater things, meaning the fourth-round match was expected to be a serious test for Gauff.
That gave little indication about how quickly Gauff - who could become world number one if she wins the title - would seize control.
Gauff said she served "really well" and called the win, along with a second-round victory over Spain's Paula Badosa, her best matches so far this year.
"I'm able to rely on a lot of different things to win points in many different ways, and I think that gives me a confidence," Gauff said after Monday's match.
Gauff said some of the marathon rallies left her breathless, but she came out on top of them more often than not.

Sources

BBC link