Ostapenko blitzes Gauff to reach Australian Open quarterfinals

2023 Australian Open 1 hr ago

2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko's deepest-ever Australian Open run continued with a Round 4 win over No.7 seed Coco Gauff.

By WTA Staff

No.17 seed Jelena Ostapenko moved through to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the first time in her career with a 7-5, 6-3 win over No.7 seed Coco Gauff at Melbourne Park on Sunday.

The Latvian, competing in her first Round 4 at the Australian Open, leveled her career head-to-head against Gauff to 1-1 with a 93-minute triumph in Margaret Court Arena. She'll next face reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina for a spot in the semifinals, after the Kazakh scored an upset of her own against World No.1 Iga Swiatek in their fourth-round match.

She clocked 30 winners and saved seven of the eight break points she faced, while going a perfect 3-for-3 on her chances against Gauff's serve. 

The win is Ostapenko's first over a Top 10 player at a Grand Slam in three years, and it'll be her first Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance since 2018. 

Match management: Gauff let six break point chances go by in the first set after being the first player to break serve. She led 2-1, but Ostapenko broke back immediately for 2-2; from then on, the Latvian saved two break points as 2-2, and crucially, four at 3-3 -- including 0-40. 

Gauff had two game points to force a tiebreak, but lost serve for a second time to fall a set behind. Ostapenko then saved the only break point she faced in the second set in the opening game.

Conversely, Gauff was pushed past deuce in each of her first three service games of the set -- never facing break point -- before surrendering the decisive break in the eighth game. 

More to come...