Australian Open: Gauff Marches Into Maiden Quarterfinal

Australian Open: Gauff marches into maiden quarterfinal (Image Source: IANS)

Rod Laver Arena: American teenager Coco Gauff progressed to an Australian Open quarterfinal for the first time with a straight-sets win over Magdalena Frech here at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday.

In a brilliant display of power and purpose, Gauff took one hour and three minutes to complete her 6-1, 6-2 win over 26-year-old Pole.

The American teen will next face first-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine. Kostyuk broke through to the last eight with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over qualifier Maria Timofeeva in Kia Arena on Sunday.

With her latest win, Gauff has extended her undefeated start to the season. The American successfully defended her Auckland title in the first week of the year and is now up to 9-0 in 2024 so far.

She is the youngest player to reach the Australian Open women’s singles quarterfinals since an 18-year-old Agnieszka Radwanska in 2008.

The 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva will try to shatter those records later on Sunday if she beat Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth-round match.

There’s also her growing status among American teens. Since 1990, only Jennifer Capriati (with 50) and Serena Williams (49) have won more Grand Slam matches than Gauff’s 48.