US Open 2023: Coco Gauff beats Jelena Ostapenko to match Serena Williams and reach semi-finals for first time
The 19-year-old dropped just two games as she blitzed Jelena Ostapenko 6-0 6-2 inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Latvian Ostapenko, the 20th seed, had blown the womenâs draw wide open when she knocked out defending champion and world number one Iga Swiatek in round four.
But she was unable to take advantage of her own handiwork as Gauff raced away with the first set in only 20 minutes.
Ostapenko made more of a contest of it in the second set, finally managing to hold serve at the fifth attempt.
But Gauff completed the job in an hour and eight minutes to reach the last four of her home grand slam for the first time.
âIt feels great, Iâm so happy,â she said. âLast year I lost in the quarter-finals and I wanted to do better. Thereâs a long way to go but Iâm happy and ready to go back to work.
âHonestly, I didnât feel comfortable the whole match, even on match point. I know the game she plays. Itâs really tough against her – you canât really be aggressive. Sheâs a top player and sheâs had a great tournament.
âThereâs a saying in basketball that âdefence wins gamesâ. It doesnât always work in tennis but today that was the case.â
Gauff will face the winner of Tuesday nightâs match between Sorana Cirstea and Karolina Muchova in the last four.
