Page 20 - ARUBA TODAY

A20 SPORTS
Monday 27 January 2020
Continued from Page 18 ranked No. 1 and own mul-
Like Gauff, Kenin is a young tiple major titles: Halep (at
— although, at 21, not quite Wimbledon) and Osaka (at
as young — American and the U.S. Open).
she reached her first major Hence the aforementioned
quarterfinal with the vic- hype.
tory. "I couldn't really write this,"
"I want to show who I am, Gauff said. "I don't think
show my best tennis, show anybody could really write
why I'm there, why I be- how this past (several)
long," the 14th-seeded months have gone."
Kenin said. "I'm doing that." She did not play as well
In her previous match, the as she has been this time,
67th-ranked Gauff beat though, winding up with 48
Naomi Osaka to become unforced errors, more than
the youngest player in the twice as many as Kenin's
professional era to de- 22.
feat the reigning women's Gauff's power is impressive.
champion at the Austra- One tiny indication: She
lian Open. At Wimbledon slammed a forehand into
last year, Gauff became the net so hard that it dis-
the youngest qualifier ever lodged a piece of a spon- Switzerland's Roger Federer makes a forehand return to Hungary's Marton Fucsovics during their
fourth round singles match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia,
at that tournament, beat sor's white plastic sign. Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020.
Venus Williams in the first Kenin can't copy that. Associated Press
round and made it all the But thanks to her relentless
way to the fourth. ball-tracking and a bit of while winning her first three said. "She's quick." funny moment. She's like,
Entering Sunday, Gauff in-your-face attitude with tour-level singles titles plus a Just before Gauff an- 'Are you feeling tired?' 'No,
was 8-2 in Grand Slam ac- a racket in hand, Kenin couple in doubles. nounced herself last sea- I'm good.' She's like, 'Yeah,
tion, with her only losses to surged up the WTA rankings "She definitely put a lot of son, Kenin delivered her me, too.' I'm like, 'OK. I'll see
women who have been from 52nd to 12th in 2019 balls in the court," Gauff own breakthrough at the you on Tuesday, then.'"
French Open by upsetting Also advancing to a quar-
Serena Williams to get to terfinal showdown were
the round of 16 at a major No. 1 Ash Barty — trying to
for the first time. become the first Australian
Now Kenin has taken an- to win the nation's Grand
other step. Slam tournament since the
Wasn't easy, though. 1970s — and last year's run-
After double-faulting twice ner-up in Melbourne, Petra
in the tiebreaker to drop Kvitova.
the opening set — "For sure, Reigning French Open
nerves," Kenin acknowl- champion Barty moved
edged — she immediately on with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 win
tilted things the other way, against No. 18 Alison Riske
breaking in the initial game of the United States, who
of the second and never double-faulted on the last
letting that lead slip away. point.
When it ended, appropri- Kvitova, a two-time Wimble-
ately enough, on a missed don champion, was down
backhand by Gauff, Kenin a set and a break before
dropped her racket at the coming back to defeat No.
baseline and covered her 22 Maria Sakkari 6-7 (4), 6-3,
face as tears welled in her 6-2."I love Petra," said Barty,
eyes. who lost to Kvitova in Aus-
"Anyone would get pretty tralia a year ago, "but let's
emotional for the first time," hope she doesn't break my
said Kenin, who next faces heart." In the men's fourth
another woman making round, defending champi-
her Slam quarterfinal de- on Novak Djokovic moved
but, 78th-ranked Ons Ja- into a matchup against No.
beur of Tunisia. 32 Milos Raonic, and Roger
Jabeur was a 7-6 (4), 6-1 Federer overcame a slow
winner against 27th-seed- start to beat Marton Fuc-
ed Wang Qiang, who sur- sovics 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 and
prised Serena Williams in his 15th quarterfinal in Aus-
the third round. tralia, where he will face
The wins for Kenin and Ja- 100th-ranked Tennys Sand-
beur ended at about the gren of the United States.
same time, and the future Raonic, the 2016 Wimble-
opponents soon found don runner-up, was asked
each other cooling down whether he thinks Djokovic,
side-by-side on exercise bi- who owns 16 Grand Slam
cycles. titles, eventually will catch
Kenin laughed as she de- Federer, who has 20.
scribed the scene this way: "I just hope," Raonic re-
"She's like, 'Good job.' I'm plied, "I can stop him at this
like, 'You, too.' It was fun, a one."q