American teenager Coco Gauff ended Caroline Wozniacki’s U.S. Open comeback with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory to reach the quarterfinals on Sunday.
The Dane, who returned to Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2019 after coming out of retirement following the birth of her two children, kept sixth seed Gauff on her toes for two sets but in the end her lack of match practice caught up with her and she ran out of steam.
The 19-year-old Gauff represents one of the United States’ brightest hopes at the year’s final major and she beat an opponent 14 years her senior by producing 33 winners.
“She definitely gets to a lot of balls... today I knew going in I had to play aggressive,” Gauff said in an on court interview.
“I have confidence in myself that I can go even further.”
READ | US Open 2023, Day 8 Order of Play: Alcaraz, Jabeur in round of 16 action
She next plays the winner of a late-night affair between Polish world number one Iga Swiatek and Latvian 20th seed Jelena Ostapenko.
Gauff has been playing the best tennis of her career this season, picking up titles in Washington and Cincinnati, and refused to let herself be rattled as she handed Wozniacki a break with an unforced error in the first game of the match.
She levelled the contest in the fourth game and broke Wozniacki to love in the eighth, as the Dane struggled with her first serve and could not match Gauff’s firepower.
But Gauff lost her edge completely in the second set, where the mistakes piled up and she was forced to defend five break points across her first three service games.
She helped Wozniacki to the break in the eighth game with a pair of double faults and appeared irritated with members of her coaching staff.
Gauff handed the 2018 Australian Open champion another break in the opening game of the third set when she whacked a backhand into the net but broke back in the next game, showing fresh resolve.
The 2022 Roland Garros finalist ran away with the momentum from there, cheering triumphantly as she forced Wozniacki into a backhand error on match point.
“Getting it to 2-1 was the turning point,” said Gauff. “I showed that I was still in the match after breaking back.”
Ticket holders would struggle to find two more well-liked figures playing on the same court at the Open, with Wozniacki the sentimental pick and Gauff the charismatic American fan-favourite.
The duo also expressed their affection for each other while they hugged at the net and Gauff said she was thrilled at a chance to play one of her childhood inspirations.
“Caroline, she’s back and it’s like she never left,” said Gauff. “To be out here on the court with her today was an honour.”
Cirstea reaches first Grand Slam quarters in 14 years
After 14 years of hard work Sorana Cirstea got her reward, returning to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2009 with a 6-3, 6-3 upset of 15th seed Belinda Bencic at the U.S. Open.
Making her 59th Grand Slam main draw appearance and 15th at the U.S. Open, the 33-year-old Romanian’s only other last eight appearance was at the 2009 French Open when she was still in her teens.
Now Cirstea becomes the oldest woman to reach the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows for the first time.
“Unfortunately in tennis, not all the work you’ve put in is always rewarded,” said Cirstea. “So it’s nice to work hard and also get the reward.
“I don’t think there is any magic thing or any key. I wish I had one I can turn it on and off.
“Sooner or later if you put in the hard work, it comes.”
The upset is just the latest in what has been a remarkable run for the Cirstea, who had already delivered one of the big Flushing Meadows shocks taking out fourth seed and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the third round.
There had been signs this year that Cirstea was capable of a deep run at Flushing Meadows after she reached the quarter-finals at Indian Wells, losing to world number one Iga Swiatek, and following that result by getting to the Miami semi-finals.
Next up for the Romanian is Czech 10th seed Karolina Muchova who advanced with a 6-3 5-7 6-1 win over China’s Wang Xinyu.
It will mark the fourth time the two have clashed this year, with Muchova winning in Dubai and Montreal and Cirstea coming out on top in Miami.
“We’ve had very tough matches, very tight battles every time we played against each other,” said Cirstea. “This year we played three times so I think we know each other quite well.
“I’m really expecting a tough one. But again, I’m very happy and grateful to be here.”
Comments
SHARE