Coco Gauff makes it to the US Open semifinals for the first time.
The shortest women’s singles match in the event featured the 19-year-old Gauff dominating Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, winning 6-0, 6-2 in just 68 minutes. Since Serena Williams in 2001, she is the only American youngster to reach the US Open semifinals.
Gauff was ready to face up against Ostapenko and her powerful, decisive style. Ostapenko, though, lives dangerously on the court because of her intense play. Her shots can suddenly transition from falling close to the line to being well outside the boundaries. Every other shot in the first set against Gauff appeared to fall short of the mark, occasionally hitting just beyond the line and other times far, far beyond.
It was a stunning change from the Ostapenko who defeated Iga Swiatek, the reigning US Open champion and world No. 1, on Sunday. She made a total of 20 unforced mistakes in that match, which spanned three sets. Ostapenko made 15 unforced errors in the opening set against Gauff, and they cost her dearly.
Gauff, on the other hand, was all work. She defeated Ostapenko in the opening set in only 20 minutes, dropping just seven points over the course of six games.
Although the second set was played differently, the final score was almost equally lopsided as the first. To square the match at 1-1, Ostapenko won her opening game. She then kept smashing the ball and made Gauff play defence. When Ostapenko’s subsequent service game went long and both players traded advantages, it appeared as though the tide was changing. However, Ostapenko was unable to seal the deal, and Gauff won. The following game was won by Ostapenko, but the contest was already done. She was aware of it, based on her face.
Gauff praised Ostapenko for being such a tough opponent after the match. Even after winning the first set, she claimed she never felt at ease since Ostapenko’s aggressive style makes her a threat to come back no matter the outcome. Gauff never gave the impression that she was in distress or was out of her element, though. She changed her approach to suit her opponent, just like a (future) champion would.
Gauff is experiencing a memorable summer. She has gone 16-1 since Wimbledon, and now that Swiatek is out of the running, she stands a good chance of winning the first Grand Slam of her career, particularly if she maintains this recent form.
