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sports Dialuna 5 September 2022

Coco Gauff, 18, reaches US Open quarterfinals for 1st time

(AP) — Coco Gauff women in action Sunday showers that started soon midway through the second away when Zhang sent a
reached the U.S. Open had ever been past the fourth after, and it took a while for set, and when she hit a back- backhand long. Gauff then
quarterfinals for the first round at Flushing Meadows the artificial lights to reach hand winner of her own, she smacked — what else? — a
time by coming back in before; only two have ever full strength. The match pro- broke to lead 5-3. down-the-line backhand
each set to beat Zhang been to the semifinals at any ceeded, even though it was The Grand Slam doubles winner for her third break
Shuai of China 7-5, 7-5 in Grand Slam tournament: rather dark — and quite hu- champoin served to force point of that game, then de-
front of a partisan crowd Gauff and No. 5 Ons Jabeur, mid — indoors. a third set there, and was livered a good return to a
at Arthur Ashe Stadium once apiece. "The first two games were a point away from getting corner that drew a long back-
on Sunday. tough," Gauff said. there, but Gauff steeled her- hand to make it 5-4 and start
Jabeur, who got to the final self and stood her ground. a four-game, match-closing
The 18-year-old Floridian, at Wimbledon in July, was Zhang started getting a bit run.
the runner-up at the French scheduled to meet No. 18 Ve- better of the back-and-forth That set point was frittered
Open in June, trailed 5-4 in ronika Kudermetova at night.
the opening set, then 5-3 in
the second, which she was a That was to follow the most-
point from losing. anticipated men's match of
Day 7: defending champion
But buoyed by spectators and top-seeded Daniil Med-
who cheered her every point, vedev vs. Wimbledon run-
chanted "Let's go, Coco!" as ner-up Nick Kyrgios. When
the end neared and prompted they met last month on a
Zhang to cover her ears with hard court at Montreal, it was
her hands, Gauff improved Kyrgios who won.
to 4-0 in Ashe this year.
She'd never previously won a Whoever emerged from
match at the biggest arena in that would be facing No. 12
Grand Slam tennis. Pablo Carreño Busta or No.
27 Karen Khachanov in the
"It feels insane. I mean, Ashe quarterfinals.
Stadium chanting my name?"
Gauff, yet to drop a set in the The other quarterfinal on the
tournament, said during her top half of the men's bracket
on-court interview. "I was will be 2022 French Open
trying not to smile on the runner-up Casper Ruud
bench on the changeover. I against 2021 Wimbledon
was trying to stay in the mo- runner-up Matteo Berrettini.
ment." No. 5 seed Ruud made it to
his first U.S. Open quarterfi-
Gauff is the youngest Ameri- nal — and stayed in the hunt
can woman into the U.S. to attain the No. 1 ranking
Open quarterfinals since by tournament's end — with
Melanie Oudin was 17 in a 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-2 vic-
2009. tory over Corentin Moutet at
Gauff also was the player Ashe to begin the day.
from any country in the
fourth round of the women's Berrettini, a 2019 semifinal-
bracket at Flushing Meadows ist in New York, defeated
this year. Zhang, at 33, was Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
the oldest. 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.
"I'm really proud, because I
They both competed mostly didn't start the match the way
from the baseline, trading I wanted to," said Berrettini,
powerful groundstrokes, who pulled out of Wimble-
especially on the backhand don this year after testing
side, which both players fa- positive for COVID-19. "I
vor. And the longer the ex- was down a set and a break. I
changes, the more success found the right energy. I have
Gauff found: She claimed 45 to say I was a little bit tired in
points that lasted five or more the fourth, and he was play-
strokes, while Zhang won 26 ing unbelievable tennis. I lost
of those. the fourth, and I was like,
'OK, now I'm going to give
Now the 12th-seeded Gauff everything.'"
will move on to face No. 17
Caroline Garcia of France, Gauff kept creating oppor-
who is playing as well as any- tunities with her best shot,
one at the moment, coming a down-the-line backhand.
off a hard-court title at Cin- That's what forced the er-
cinnati right before play be- ror by Zhang to hand over a
gan in New York. break for a 6-5 lead for the
American. It's what produced
Garcia eliminated No. 29 a winner to close out the first
Alison Riske-Amritraj of the set.
U.S. 6-4, 6-1 to, like, Gauff,
earn her debut berth in the The whirring of the Ashe
U.S. Open quarterfinals. retractable roof being pulled
shut accompanied the start
Indeed, none of the eight of the second set because of