US Open: The young American Coco Gauff will face the talented Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia in the US Open quarterfinals.
The American defeated Zhang Shuai of China 7-5, 7-5, to advance to a match against Garcia, who extended her impressive form with a devastating 6-4, 6-1 victory over Alison Riske-Amritraj, the 29th seed from the United States.
Coco Gauff has already advanced to her first Grand Slam final of the year at the French Open, and it would make for a compelling story if she could win the competition where Serena Williams withdrew.
Despite the fact that there is still a long way to go, Gauff has yet to lose a set and displayed her competitive maturity by defeating Zhang in the final four games and saving a set point.
“It feels insane,” Gauff said. “I mean, Ashe Stadium chanting my name, I was trying not to smile on the bench on the last changeover, I was trying to stay in the moment. But in my head, I was smiling.
The Chinese player was quicker in the early going, breaking for a 2-0 lead in the opening set, in a match between the youngest player left in the draw, 18-year-old Gauff, and the oldest, 33-year-old Zhang.
However, 12th seed Gauff fought back and hit an incredible backhand winner to win the opening set in front of a raucous crowd.
In the second set, Zhang, a human backboard happy to prolong rallies from the baseline, broke Gauff to take a 5-3 lead.
However, Gauff came back to reclaim the lead at 6-5 and then, with incredible speed, slid from corner to corner to force Zhang to make a mistake at the net.
Zhang shielded her ears to shut out the applauding audience noise, which was accentuated by the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof being closed due to rain.
Prior to giving each other a heartfelt embrace at the net, Gauff ended the relationship after Zhang made a mistake.
The next player is Garcia, who was infamously predicted by Andy Murray to become the world No. 1 more than ten years ago. However, Garcia has struggled under the pressure of expectation and started the season ranked 74.
After a stellar summer that saw her advance to Wimbledon’s fourth round, defeating Emma Raducanu along the way, and winning three titles, most notably at the renowned WTA tournament in Cincinnati, she is now 17 years old.
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