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A18 SPORTS
Thursday 23 January 2020
Coco Gauff sets up Osaka showdown in Australia; Serena wins

By HOWARD FENDRICH and with one career Grand
AP Tennis Writer Slam quarterfinal between
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) them, more than a de-
— Plenty was going badly cade ago (Cirstea made it
for Coco Gauff in the sec- that far at the 2009 French
ond round of the Australian Open).
Open. Indeed, every Grand Slam
The double-faults kept singles match -- "every"
coming Wednesday, nine being a relative term, of
in all. The deficits, too: First, course, because this was
she dropped the opening No. 9 -- of the 67th-ranked
set against 74th-ranked Gauff's nascent career has
Sorana Cirstea. Then, after been placed on a show
forcing a third, Gauff fell court.
behind by a break, ceding This was the first main draw
14 of 16 points with a se- match at a major for Gauff
ries of mistakes. Later, after in which she held a better
getting even at 3-all, Gauff ranking than her opponent.
was a mere two points from Didn't seem that way at the
a loss. outset: Gauff dropped the
None of that mattered. As first set. After forcing things
she keeps showing, over to a third, she trailed 3-0.
and over, Gauff is not a After making it 3-3, Gauff
typical 15-year-old. Not a needed to get through one
typical tennis player, either. more gut-check: Twice, she
And by getting past Cirstea was two points from de-
4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a little more parting.
than two hours thanks to a But the American teenag-
more aggressive approach er broke in the next-to-last
in the late going, she now Serena Williams of the U.S. makes a forehand return to Slovenia's Tamara Zidansek during their game, then held to win.
has set up yet another second round singles match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, How did Gauff get through
Grand Slam showdown Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. this test?
against Naomi Osaka. Associated Press "Just my will to win," she
"I kind of felt the momen- said. "My parents, they al-
tum changing," Gauff in New York, Gauff said: "If Petra Kvitova, the runner- best on a windy afternoon ways told me I can come
said about turning things I had a child or something, up to Osaka in Australia a against Cirstea but man- back, no matter what the
around against Cirstea. "I that's something I would year ago. aged to figure her way score is."
knew I had to keep press- want my child to see. It just Defending men's cham- out of trouble repeatedly. Osaka worked through
ing." shows what being a com- pion Novak Djokovic re- Gauff demonstrated plenty some frustrations Wednes-
Less than five months after petitor really is. You might quired all of 95 minutes of grit, yes, and also enthu- day by grabbing her rack-
their memorable meeting hate the person on the to breeze past Japanese siasm, pumping herself up et with both hands and
at the U.S. Open -- Osaka court, but off the court you wild-card entry Tatsuma Ito by shaking a fist and yell- chucking it to the ground,
won that one in straight love them — not really, like, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2, while Roger Fe- ing, "Come on!" after most tossing away a tennis ball
sets, then consoled a cry- 'hate,' but you want to win. derer had a similarly easy of her successful points and kicking the racket
ing Gauff on court and en- Sometimes when we're on time, beating 41st-ranked down the stretch. along the court, to boot.
couraged her to address the court, we say things we Filip Krajinovic of Serbia 6-1, All the while, Gauff was Then she plopped herself
the spectators -- the two don't mean because we 6-4, 6-1. supported by a Melbourne down on her sideline seat
will face each other again. have that mentality. When While Federer had the Arena crowd that chanted, and draped a towel over
Like that time, Osaka is the it's all said and done, we still usual Grand Slam day off "Let's go, Coco! Let's go!" her head. Soon, she was
major's reigning champion look at each other with re- between matches, Kraji- Her father, Corey, was gathering herself and de-
and Gauff is making her spect." novic's first-round contest animated in the stands, feating Zheng Saisai 6-2,
debut at the tournament. Other winners on Day 3 was postponed by showers too, except when he was 6-4.
"I think I'll be less nervous this included Serena Williams and so he didn't have the squeezing his eyes shut at "I mean, my racket just
time," said Gauff, who elim- — 6-2, 6-3 against Tamara proper rest after a five-set critical moments. magically flew out of my
inated seven-time Grand Zidansek in a match that win Tuesday. There were several of those hand. I couldn't control it,"
Slam champion Venus Wil- finished with the Rod La- "I do feel a little bit sorry," for his precocious daugh- Osaka said with a mischie-
liams in the first round Mon- ver Arena retractable roof said Federer, who now ter, who was ranked only vous smile. "I think that's
day. "I think I'm more confi- closed because of rain — meets Australia's John Mill- 313th last year when she how I dealt with my frus-
dent this time around." No. 1 Ash Barty, 2018 Aus- man, who surprised him in became the youngest tration. It was a bit child-
As for what sticks with her tralian Open champion the fourth round of the 2018 player in history to qual- ish. I just want to play one
about the post-match Caroline Wozniacki and U.S. Open. ify for Wimbledon, then match without throwing my
comforting Osaka offered two-time major champion Gauff was not at her very wound up beating Williams racket or kicking it. That's all
there en route to the fourth I want."
round. Perhaps because her news
It is a measure of her came- conference took place
so-soon stardom that Gauff while Gauff and Cirstea
was playing at Melbourne were still playing, Osaka
Park's third-largest stadium deflected a question seek-
Wednesday, even though ing some sort of lookahead
this was a matchup be- to the third round, saying
tween a pair of players simply she would go watch
ranked outside the top 60 the end of that match.q