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With a historic semifinal ahead, the sensational Coco Gauff has continued her run of exhilarating victories at the US Open on Tuesday, breezing past Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets.
The world No. 6 didn’t lose a game in the opening set before wrapping up a convincing 6-0 6-2 victory to book her first ever semifinal spot at the US Open. Light work.
With many of the top seeds in the women’s draw having already been knocked out, Gauff remains one of the few favorites still left.
“I’m so happy,” Gauff said in her on-court interview after the win. “Last year I lost in the quarterfinals. I’m happy and ready to get back to work on the next one.”
The American faced a tricky challenge against the resurgent Ostapenko after the Latvian beat defending champion Iga ?wi?tek in the previous round.
But, playing in front of a home crowd, Gauff was unflinching as she dominated her opponent to win the first set in just 20 minutes.
Ostapenko, who won the French Open back in 2017, came out in the second set with far more aggression, winning two games to avoid a total whitewash.
In the end, though, the frustrated Latvian proved no match for Gauff as she was punished for making consistent errors.
While the result looks emphatic on paper, Gauff was still made to work for her win.
Ostapenko saved two match points as Gauff looked to finish the tie, but the American teenage phenom was eventually able to clinch the win with an accurate forehand to seal her 10th consecutive victory.
“Honestly, I didn’t feel comfortable at all during the match – even on the match points,” Gauff added.
“I know the game [Ostapenko] plays. She has the ability to come back no matter the scoreline, so I was just trying to get every point, put every ball in.
“It’s really tough against her because you can’t really be aggressive, so I was trying my best to be aggressive when I could, and most of the time I was just trying to get the ball deep. She’s a tough player and she had a great tournament.”
With the victory, Gauff becomes the first American teenager to reach the US Open semifinals since Serena Williams in 2001.
It’s also just the second time in Gauff’s career that she has made it to the semifinal stage of a grand slam – the last coming at the French Open in 2022, where she eventually lost in the final to ?wi?tek.
Gauff, 19, will now face either Sorana Cîrstea or this year’s French Open runner-up Karolína Muchová in the next round.