No. 3 seed Coco Gauff defeated Czech Karolina Muchova 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 on Sunday at the Australian Open, and that could be a sign of big things to come in Melbourne for the 21-year-old American.
The victory puts Gauff into the quarterfinals and improved her record against the 19th-seeded Muchova to 5-0. In the four previous tournaments in which she faced Muchova, Gauff has gone on to win, including the 2023 U.S. Open.
On Sunday, Gauff got off to a fast start, taking a 5-0 lead before capturing the first set 6-1. Muchova fought back in the second, converting two of her four break opportunities, to win her first career set against Gauff.
In the third set, and with the the games tied at 1-all, Gauff won 12 of 13 points to go up 4-1 before closing out the victory in a tick under two hours.
“I feel like with each match you start to relax a little bit more,” Gauff said after the match. “But also, as you keep going, usually the ranking of the opponent gets higher, so the matches should be a bit tougher, which they have been.”
In the quarterfinals, Gauff will meet No. 12 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, who defeated No. 8 Mirra Andreeva of Russia 6-2, 6-4. Svitolina’s win in 83 minutes sent her to her fourth career Australian Open quarterfinal — the same as Gauff.
It was a gritty performance from the start for the veteran Svitolina, who quickly fell behind 0-40 in the first game. Facing a triple break point, she won the next five points to capture the first game and set the tone for the match.
“It’s unbelievable,” Svitolina said on court immediately after the match. “I’m very, very pleased with the performance tonight, and I had to really put up a fight and fight until the very last point. It was an extremely nerve-wracking match, and I was very happy the way I held myself.”
Earlier Sunday, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka advanced to her 13th major quarterfinal in 14 tournaments in a 6-1, 7-6 (1) victory over 17th-seeded Victoria Mboko of Canada.
“What an incredible player for such a young age,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview regarding Mboko. “It’s incredible to see these kids coming up on tour. I can’t believe I say that, I feel like I’m a kid still but whatever! Incredible player. She pushed me really hard today.
“I’m super happy with the win, once again in straight sets. She played incredible tennis. She pushed me so much. Happy to be through.”
Sabalenka, 27, will face 18-year-old American sensation Iva Jovic, who reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time. The Californian and 29th-seeded player shellacked Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, 6-0, 6-1 in a match that lasted 53 minutes.
Jovic captured 14 of 19 points on Putintseva’s serve in a 25-minute first set. She led 6-0, 4-0 before the 31-year-old earned a game win.
Her next task is a tall one against Sabalenka, a two-time Australian Open champion.
“I think I’m just gonna try to keep taking care of my side of the net,” said Jovic on her impending match with the top seed. “Obviously she’s No. 1 for a reason and has had so much success at this tournament, but that’s what I want. I said it last year that I hoped to play her this year because you definitely want to play the best and see how it goes. I’m really excited.”
–Field Level Media
