No. 12 Coco Gauff is through to her first US Open quarterfinal after defeating Zhang Shuai 7-5, 7-5 in front of a favorable Arthur Ashe crowd Sunday.
The 18-year-old’s stellar defense helped her overcome Zhang, the oldest remaining player in the US Open draw. The disparity in experience between Gauff and her 33-year-old opponent was hardly noticeable, as the American kept her poise in critical moments to charge into the Round of 16.
Coco ➡️ #USOpen Quarterfinals pic.twitter.com/dt79TzYLSI
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 4, 2022
Gauff will again enjoy the support of the Flushing Meadows crowd when she takes on No. 17 Caroline Garcia, who bounced Alison Riske-Amritraj 6-4, 6-1 in her Round of 32 matchup.
Garcia boasts an impressive serve, logging eight aces and winning all nine of her service games against Riske-Amritraj. She will need to continue that type of service-game dominance if she wants to challenge Gauff, a talented baseliner.
“She already have some experience with the final in Roland Garros,” Garcia said of Gauff. “She’s aggressive but maybe from a little bit farther than I am. Big serve, huge serve, very powerful. Moving great. Very athletic.”
As the youngest American woman to reach the quarters since then-17-year-old Melanie Oudin’s 2009 run, all eyes will be on Gauff heading into the Round of 16.