CNN
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Coco Gaff continued her solid successes US Open On Tuesday, she beat Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets.
World no. 6, didn’t drop a game in the opening set, cruising to a convincing 6-0 6-2 victory to book his first semi-final berth at the US Open.
With many excellent seeds Women’s draw Having already been knocked out, Goff remains one of the few favourites.
The 19-year-old Goff will face Sorana Cirstia or this year’s French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova in the next round.
“I’m very happy,” Goff said in an on-court interview after the win. “Last year I lost in the quarterfinals. I am happy and ready to start the next job.
The American faces a tricky challenge against a resurgent Ostapenko after defeating Latvian defending champion Ika Svitek in the previous round.
But Goff, playing in front of a home crowd, was in no mood as he dominated his opponent to win the first set in just 20 minutes.
Ostapenko, who won the French Open back in 2017, came out with more aggression in the second set, winning two games to avoid a total whitewash.
Brendan McDermidt/Reuters
Goff has now reached his second singles semi-final at a Grand Slam.
In the end, the frustrated Latvian proved no match for Goff as he was punished for a series of fouls.
Although the result looked compelling on paper, Goff was made to work for his victory.
Ostapenko saved two match points to see off the tie, but eventually the American was able to claim her 10th straight win with a pinpoint forehand.
“Honestly, I didn’t feel comfortable during the match – even on match points,” Gough added.
“I know the game [Ostapenko] is playing She has the ability to come back regardless of the scoreline, so I tried to get every point, put every ball.
“It’s tough against her because you can’t really be aggressive, so I tried my best to be as aggressive as I could, and most of the time I tried to get the ball deep. She’s a tough player and she had a great match.
With the win, Goff became the first American teenager to reach the US Open semifinals since Serena Williams in 2001.
It was the second time in Goff’s career that he had reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam – the last coming in 2022 at the French Open, where he eventually lost to Svidek in the final.
After winning against Svidek in the previous round, Ostapenko was unhappy about the time off between the impressive win and her match against Goff.
“I mean, if I play a match, a night session, in a day, I think I should play at least at the same time or later, because you don’t have much time to recover,” Ostapenko told reporters after her loss. “I think the schedule is better for her, Because she played the day before I played the night session.”
The 26-year-old also said he was confident he would face Goff in the night session.
“The thing is, when I asked the day before, I’m pretty sure I’m going to play in the night session because that’s what they told me. When the schedule came out, I saw the first match and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s a little bit of a weird schedule.’ Ostapenko added.
“Yeah, I was a little surprised when I saw the schedule, and not really in a good way.”
CNN reached out to the US Tennis Association about Ostapenko’s comments, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Gauff now has a big chance at Flushing Meadows.
In Monday’s action, No. No. 1 seed Svidek, No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula and No. 5 seed Ons Jaber were eliminated from the tournament. Women were eliminated in the draw.
With some solid wins under his belt already in New York, Goff has a great chance of winning his first Grand Slam title.
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Ostapenko struggled to advance to the quarter-finals.
Top seed Sabalenka, who was left in the draw, will face rising Chinese star Zeng Qinwen, who is enjoying her best run at Grand Slams, beating last year’s finalist Jabur in straight sets in the quarter-finals. .
Świątek’s early exit means Sabalenka will be the new world No. 1 on Monday, having topped the rankings for the first time in his career, following a remarkable year in which he won three titles, including his first. Grand Slam at the Australian Open.
Sabalenka says she is currently “playing great tennis” but knows there are “always things to improve” as she anticipates a tricky match against Zeng.
“We trained with him twice,” she told reporters after Monday’s win over Daria Kasatkina. “He plays very good tennis. [Her] The forehand is pretty heavy, I would say the backhand too. Serves well. Moves well.
“It’s like she has nothing to lose, so she’s playing her best. She played great tennis against Anne – I haven’t seen her previous matches, but, yes, she’s playing great tennis now.
“The tricky part is that she moves well and plays some heavy shots. I have to be physically and mentally prepared for the fact that there are going to be some winners against me in that match.
“I have to focus on me more than her. If I bring my tennis out there, I have a chance to win this match.
