Coco Gauff breezes into US Open semifinal with straight units win over Jelena Ostapenko, Novak Djokovic cruises by
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American sixth seed Coco Gauff has bolstered her hopes of securing a maiden grand slam title, having fun with a stress-free 6-0, 6-2 win over Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko to achieve the US Open semifinals.
Key factors:
- Coco Gauff, 19, is the youngest American to achieve the US Open semi-finals since Serena Williams in 2001
- Gauff reached the second grand slam semifinal of her profession
- Novak Djokovic reached a document forty seventh grand slam semifinal with a straight-sets win over Taylor Fritz
Within the males’s draw, Novak Djokovic beat ninth-seed Taylor Fritz in straight units.
Gauff, whose lead-up to the US Open included hardcourt titles in Washington and Cincinnati, transformed six of her seven break factors and dropped serve simply as soon as throughout a steamy 67-minute match at Arthur Ashe Stadium the place the temperature rose above 32 levels Celsius.
“It feels nice, so comfortable,” Gauff mentioned throughout her on-court interview on Tuesday.
“Final yr I misplaced within the quarterfinal stage and I needed to do higher this yr.
“I’m comfortable and able to get again to work for the subsequent one.”
Ostapenko entered the match filled with confidence having upset world primary Iga Świątek within the earlier spherical.
However towards Gauff, the misfiring Latvian twentieth seed couldn’t discover her vary and delivered an error-filled efficiency.
Gauff was in management from the beginning and showcased wonderful courtroom protection whereas delivering a gentle stream of balls deep into the corners en path to capturing the primary set in 20 minutes and limiting Ostapenko to seven factors.
Former French Open champion Ostapenko, enjoying in her first US Open quarterfinal, lastly received on the board with a break to degree the second set at 1-1 however Gauff by no means wavered and broke again for a 2-1 lead with a backhand crosscourt winner.
Ostapenko held serve for the primary time 49 minutes into the match however 19-year-old Gauff went up a double break for a 5-2 lead earlier than closing out the encounter on her serve regardless of falling behind 0-30.
By the point it was over, Ostapenko had 36 unforced errors in comparison with Gauff’s 14.
With the win, Gauff avenged her spherical of 16 loss to the Latvian at this yr’s Australian Open, which left the American in tears.
Regardless of delivering a lopsided win to achieve the second semifinal of her profession, Gauff mentioned she by no means felt snug on the courtroom towards Ostapenko.
“I do know the sport she performs, she has the flexibility to come back again regardless of the scoreline, so I used to be simply actually attempting to get each level, attempting to play each ball in,” mentioned Gauff.
“It is actually powerful towards her as a result of you possibly can’t actually be aggressive, so I used to be attempting my greatest to be aggressive once I might and more often than not I used to be simply attempting to get the ball deep.”
Up subsequent for Gauff, who’s the youngest American to achieve the US Open semifinals since Serena Williams in 2001, will likely be Czech tenth seed and French Open finalist Karolina Muchová, who beat Romanian thirtieth seed Sorana Cîrstea 6-0, 6-3 within the night time session.
Novak Djokovic cruises by
In Tuesday’s first males’s quarterfinal, which was performed with the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof partly closed to supply some shade as temperature rose above 32 levels Celsius and the humidity above 50 per cent, 23-time main champion Djokovic made brief work of Fritz.
The quantity two seed demolished the quantity 9 seed 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours 35 minutes.
Djokovic improved to 8-0 towards Fritz and 13-0 in US Open quarterfinals.
The Serbian star will now play in his forty seventh grand slam semifinal total, breaking a tie with Roger Federer for essentially the most by a person.
“That is the game that has given me a lot in my life,” Djokovic mentioned after being informed of the newest document that he has damaged.
“I used to be fortunate to come across some very educated and passionate folks and with out their assist and my mother and father, who’re right here, I would not be right here with out their love and unbelievable sacrifice.
“That’s the lengthy reply for what goes by my head once I hear these numbers [of the records he has broken]. There’s quite a lot of issues I’m very grateful for.
“It’s a large alternative each time I step out on the courtroom at this stage of my life. I do not know what number of extra alternatives I’ll get so I’m attempting to take pleasure in it as a lot as I can.”
Djokovic will now meet unseeded American Ben Shelton, who defeated tenth seed Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(9/7), 6-2.
Shelton into ultimate 4
Ben Shelton remains to be simply 20, nonetheless new to this complete skilled tennis factor. He’s geared up with a tremendously good serve, however do not suppose he cannot come by in different methods when it issues essentially the most.
On a muggy night time through which, sure, he hit 14 aces but in addition 11 double-faults, Shelton used one blink-and-you-missed-it booming return to avoid wasting a set level within the third set pivotal tiebreaker and reached his first slam semifinal by defeating Tiafoe.
“Generally you have to shut off the mind, shut your eyes and simply swing,” Shelton mentioned about his forehand return winner off a second serve that prevented Tiafoe from taking a two-sets-to-one lead.
“Some could say ‘clutch,’ however I do not find out about all that.”
The match-up was the primary main quarterfinal between two African-American males within the Open period, which dates again to 1968.
It was additionally the primary US Open quarterfinal since 2005 between two males from the host nation, which hasn’t claimed a slam trophy in males’s singles since Andy Roddick received at Flushing Meadows two years previous to that.
And Shelton is up towards it to take action when he subsequent takes on Djokovic.
AP
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