Coco Gauff’s Breakthrough: Youngest American Since Serena Williams to Reach U.S. Open Semifinals
Coco Gauff handled the heat, the humidity, her formidable opponent, and the challenge of trying to get to the U.S. Open semifinals with ease. Defeating 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko 6-0, 6-2 on Tuesday, she advanced to her first-ever Open quarterfinal.
Gauff, a 19-year-old from Florida, is the first American youngster to make it to the Flushing Meadows final four since Serena Williams lost to Venus Williams in 2001.
Gauff has won 16 of her last 17 matches; a Wimbledon first-round defeat in July seems like a lifetime ago. Her participation in the final at Roland Garros in was her best Grand Slam performance to date.
Tuesday’s match between Gauff and Ostapenko got underway just after noon at Arthur Ashe Stadium with a temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) and a humidity level of 55%.
Gauff sat on the sideline bench with an ice pack wrapped around her neck during the break before the second set as Ostapenko went to the locker room.
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Fan-Fueled Triumph
Naturally, the American had the support of the crowd. Before Gauff even entered the court, the crowd cheered and chanted for her after seeing her on the arena’s video boards during a prematch TV interview.
When Gauff was introduced before the start of the game, the roars intensified.
She got off to about as strong of a start as she could, scoring 12 of the first 15 points to lead by two breaks and take a 3-0 lead after only 10 minutes.
Ostapenko held her racket and a hand inches (centimeters) apart after a 118 mph (190 kph) ace by Gauff to indicate she believed the ball landed outside the box. But these days, every “Was it in or out?” decision is handled by electronic line-calling, so there are no appeals on that type of thing.
Gauff didn’t have to make an effort to push things. She made use of her speed, intelligence, and reflexes to intercept Ostapenko’s best groundstrokes and return them to the opposing side.
Most of the time, that excellent defense would keep the score close until Ostapenko made a mistake.
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Source: CBS News
